Laugh, Don’t Laugh

When was the last time you really laughed?n nI am not referring to a giggle or a chuckle. What I am talking about is side-splitting, jaw-aching, tears-running-down-your-face, all-out, roll-on-the-floor laughing. If you are like most of us, it has been longer than you can remember. n nThe truth is that we need to laugh, we want to laugh, and we always feel better after we have a good laugh. So why not just laugh? Because life has become too serious. In our busy, hectic, stressed out schedules, we have lost the time and ability to laugh. n nI say that now is the time to rediscover the joys and benefits of this contagious emotion called laughter.n nWe have always placed a tremendous amount of focus on this universal language of humor, comedy, and laughter. From as far back as the ancient Greek god of mischief, Dionysus, we have been seeking this emotional release and feeling. We have comedy movies, comedy television, comedy radio, and more recently, laugh coaches, laugh yoga, and laugh e-mail. We have more outside sources of comedy and humor than at any time in history.nnWhy All This Focus on Making Us Laugh?nn Because it’s good for you, it’s healthy, it’s fun, and it has no known side effects, except that it can easily be shared with others. Laughter lifts our spirits, gives us a better outlook on our day, and improves our behavior toward others by connecting with them in a natural way. Laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells and disease-fighting proteins called gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, our natural painkillers, and produces a general sense and feeling of well-being and connectedness to others and ourselves. These findings have been published in several studies by Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California over the past twenty years.n nIt has even been reported that laughter can provide an excellent source of cardiac exercise. When you monitor your pulse after a good side-splitting belly laugh, you find that your heart is racing, and your pulse will continue to be elevated for three to five minutes after the laughter is over. This type of cardiac conditioning has been called “internal jogging” by some researchers and can be as beneficial as aerobic exercise if done several times throughout the day.n n On the emotional side, laughter can strengthen the bond of most relationships and can establish a positive emotional climate and a sense of connection, a feeling of togetherness. Most of us are naturally drawn to others who exhibit a good sense of humor because they make us feel good. We often take a lighter approach to our own problems when we see others laughing at theirs. When we can laugh at a problem or situation, it gives us a sense of superiority and control. Laughter can help create a positive outlook to what could be a negative situation. We are less likely to feel helpless in a situation if we can laugh at what is troubling us.n nWhile all these benefits of laughter are great, the most important is that it just feels good. We sense a feeling of emotional relief, a sense of relaxation and calm, after we have experienced a good laugh. While what actually causes these effects may not be totally understood, we can certainly appreciate them and use them to improve our emotional state, relationships, health, and well-being. n nLaughter is a muscle like any other: it can be strengthened and improved with regular, positive use and exercise, or it can grow weak and useless if not used. We all know someone who never laughs. He takes everything seriously, always seems grumpy, and feels disconnected from everyone. Laughter’s most important attribute is creating a sense of connectedness. Most women have said that the first and most important trait they look for in a mate is a good sense of humor because a good sense of humor shows that you can connect with others in a loving way. It reveals that a person can connect with another in a lighthearted, emotional way, which will lead to more open communication in most other areas of any relationship.n nLaughter is more about social and emotional relationships than it is about the humor itself. We know that the moods and emotions we experience have a direct effect on our feelings of connectedness with others in any relationship. Now we realize that by building up the muscle called our sense of humor, we can learn to laugh at the curve balls that life may throw at us and take a lighter approach to the people and obstacles in our life.nnDoes Having a Good Sense of Humor and an Ability to Laugh More Often Prevent Illness?nn While very limited research has been done to substantiate this claim, it may be true. People that have a happy, more joyous outlook on life will naturally turn on the immune system metabolically and increase its ability to do what it is designed to do: protect and promote healing when external and internal threats to the body occur. To gain the full benefits, emotionally and physically, it may be necessary to change the perspective you have of your life. If you currently subscribe to the idea that something outside yourself needs to change for you to become the lighthearted, joke-telling, full-of-laughter person you want to be, you may need to take a look at the internal changes that would make the difference. Begin by changing your internal dialogue from one of stress and problems to one of joy and opportunities. Look for the opportunities to laugh, to smile, and to connect with another. Seize the moment—be the difference to make the difference.nnYou Can Decide to Laugh or Not Laugh: The Choice Is Yoursnn It is suggested that to maintain a healthy physical and emotional state, we should laugh fifteen to twenty minutes each day. Find new ways to laugh. Build a laugh library of all your favorite comedians and jokes. Subscribe to one of the joke of the day e-mail services. Learn to see life in a more joyous, nonstressful way. Observe children playing and laughing. Whatever works for you, find it and use it daily to create a better, lighter sense about you and life, and don’t take everything so seriously. n nAs Groucho Marx said, “A clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as fast.”nn** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health”, visit http://selfgrowth.com/healthbook3.htmln