My Favorite Performance Enhancing Drug Is Laughter

During the 2019 season, I took a Yale Summer School Online class titled “Brains of Genius”. It is one of the most popular classes at Yale, and I can see why. We studied the concept of genius itself, and how popular understanding of it has evolved over the centuries. We studied the similarities and differences between many well-known geniuses and the lives and upbringings of some of the most famous geniuses in the western world. Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Frida Kahlo, etc. These were fascinating people who lived extraordinary lives.

One of the characteristics of genius that stood out the most to me was when we learned about the creative piece of genius. Using imagination to envision a new approach to a complex problem fascinates me the most.

And to take it one step further, we read about studies researching how to put oneself into the most creative headspace possible. The answer; laughter.

I don’t remember the nuts and bolts of what happens in your amygdala or with your neural transmitters, but what I took away from it was simple: dopamine. When you laugh, your body releases dopamine… and that is the best way to let out your own creative genius.

Being interested in performing my best on the baseball field, I tried to think of how I could apply this to my career. I thought to myself, “hitting a curveball kind of takes creativity… I wonder if listening to stand-up comedy will help my hitting?”

But before I got to put it to the test… I was released. I think literally that day.

I was released from the Yankees AAA team and the next day I signed with the Cincinnati Reds and was sent straight up to the big leagues. I was nervous as hell. I hadn’t caught a game in the MLB in almost 2 full years. I was coming off an oblique tear, and to be honest… I hadn’t been playing all that well before I got hurt either.

So I listened to stand-up comedy. All day that day.

On the flight to Cincinnati. In the cab to the field. Even as I stretched before the game… it was comedy that was playing in my headphones.

And even once the game started, in the on-deck circle before my first at-bat I remember repeating my favorite joke from the day in my head and laughing out loud.

And I had the best game of my life. Literally.

I broke the franchise debut record for most RBI in a game (6).

I’ve repeated this a few other times in my career since then. Anytime I am nervous, or I really want to perform well, I turn on the comedy station.

My takeaway? If you are nervous… or want to find a way to let out your own creative genius… find a way to LAUGH!