Legal Enemy No. 1, 020119 COBJ, Vol. 49, No. 2 Pg. 26

• Author: BY SARAH MYERS.
• Position: Vol. 49, 2 [Page 26]

49 Colo.Law. 26

Legal Enemy No. 1

Vol. 49, No. 2 [Page 26]

Colorado Lawyer

February, 2020

WELLNESS

BY SARAH MYERS.

If you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think.

—Clarence Darrow

The term "public enemy" has been used for centuries to refer to outlaws, and it saw expanded use in the 1930s when particularly notorious criminals were designated "public enemy no. 1." The phrase has evolved to include dangers to public health and safety in general. Like the term "patient zero," the concept is simple: find the source of something that negatively impacts a large group of people, and you can find a solution to the problem. There's a large body of research on maladies related to and impacting lawyers. But what's "legal enemy no. 1?" It's too much seriousness. Seriously.

The Seriousness Trap

It turns out Mr. Darrow was correct: when we overthink, ruminate, and perseverate on problems, irritants, or resentments, we lose connectivity to the parts of the brain where humor, executive functioning, solutions, creativity, logic, pragmatism, and compassion dwell. Screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker Anthony McCarten points out that "seriousness is dangerous, not just for ourselves, but also in society. . . . [T]he forces of seriousness, of humorlessness, would limit us to narrow thinking, rigid ideology, cruelty, and a tunnel vision, whereas humor obliges us to have an open mind. It obliges empathy and forgiveness."^[1]

Neuroscience and cognitive research are clear on this subject. We can't stress ourselves smart; we can only "stress ourselves stupid."^[2] When we are chronically stressed, the cognitive and emotional results of an overactive nervous system include responses governed by different parts of the brain. Over time, our body responds to psychological stressors the same way it would to life-threatening, immediate danger. The parts of the brain responsible for thinking and memory shrink, and the parts of the brain responsible for our "fight or flight" response grow. These changes alter our personality (making us more agitated and angry); reduce our cognitive skills and ability to think critically; negatively impact our memory, either through memory loss or creation of "altered" memories tainted by anxiety (things are remembered worse than they really were); and weaken our immune system, leading to physical illness and disease.

You might have heard of Dan Harris's book 10% Happier.^[3] In this case, how about getting at least 10% more humor into your day? If you're wondering where to find the time or energy for humor, how about borrowing it from the time and energy you dedicate to stressful thoughts, anger, resentment, overwhelm, and confusion? Are you willing to refocus your thoughts and perspective for a few minutes a day? If so, you'll be making an enormous difference on not only your cognitive abilities and your performance as an attorney, but also your physical health and your...