LOL

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Laughter: Universal. Body and Mind. Restorative. Miraculous.

Laughter is easy to find when our children or simply ingenuous people are around us. Yet too often we skip through days on end without even a chuckle, while busy making plans for next time or some other time in which to let loose and have fun. This week I decided to stop right in the here and now and research the benefits of laughter because something that feels as good and as wonderful as a big belly guffaw, well, must have some spectacular effects, right? Here is what I discovered…

Helpguide.org states: “Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.”

Psychology Today wrote: “Laughter, it’s said, is the best medicine. And there’s lots of evidence that laughter does lots of good things for us.It reduces pain and allows us to tolerate discomfort. It reduces blood sugar levels, increasing glucose tolerance in diabetics and nondiabetics alike. It improves your job performance, especially if your work depends on creativity and solving complex problems. Its role in intimate relationships is vastly underestimated and it really is the glue of good marriages. It synchronizes the brains of speaker and listener so that they are emotionally attuned.”

TheHappySelf.com: “People who incorporate humor and playfulness into their relationships are able to drop some of their inhibitions and defensiveness.  This allows them to enjoy more spontaneity and a deeper emotional connection.  When laughter and humor are used to defuse conflict, negative emotions like resentment and anger don’t get a chance to build up.  In fact, laughter and a shared sense of humor are nothing less than essential for strong and healthy relationships.”

“Can a laugh every day keep the heart attack away? Maybe so.”  The University of Maryland Medical Center web page will tell you exactly how this is possible.

Get it? Medical research PROVES we need laughter to stay healthy! And, I will add, we need laughter to stay happy… All aspects of humor have been a part of our culture since the first storytellers sat by the fire to entertain us… Think Chaucer and the satire and irony of the Canterbury Tales. Conjure the mishaps of the four young Athenian lovers in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Fast forward to the Vaudeville antics of Charlie Chaplin, the silent screen star who brought physical comedy to theaters around the world. The careers that followed, from the Marx Brothers to Lucille Ball, filled our TV rooms with hours of slapstick. Sitcoms continue to thrive, with Modern Family and  30 Rock winning countless Emmy’s; we collectively cheer all the foolish and outrageous behavior the characters on these shows provide.

So, as we enter August, a time of summer vacation for most of the world, do what you need to do to stay healthy and happy by incorporating laughter into your daily routine. For starters, listen more attentively to those goofy jokes of your brother-in-law, read at least one comic strip in the newspaper, spend an afternoon playing dress-up with your favorite niece, and tune in to one of the many reruns of Seinfield: and while you’re doing any of these suggestions Laugh Out Loud! Apparently, your whole life, body, mind and soul will be a whole lot better if you do!

Here are three jokes to get you started on your LOL regime:

What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!

Why shouldn’t you play poker in the jungle? Too many cheetahs!

What do you call a blind dinosaur? A Doyouthinkhesaurus!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaahha!

22 thoughts on “LOL”

  2. As a Hospice Volunteer for 25 years,I know how important it is to bring good cheer and giggles and fun into a sad home……..it’s something I do……bringing the laughter into meetings ,yes!,even prayer meetings,and everywhere is a job we should all take seriously. Here is a blog I heartily say “BRAVO” to.

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  3. Ha ha ho ho. I adore another fabulous post! I became a certified laughter yoga coach a few months back and desire to do sessions, especially with seniors. It is absolutely healthy and the amazing fact is our brain gets the same chemicals released whether we laugh at a real funny joke or just “fake” a laugh. I will give some more info, but I just woke up after a trip to Newport for a wedding and visiting family in New York and need to finish my coffee,but I had to read your post as they always enrich my day! LOL

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  4. Yes, I needed a good laugh today so I watched The Lorax. It was so cute and funny! But then I almost shed a tear at the end b/c it was just so touching lol. Anyways, great post and thanks so much for stopping by my page, I very much appreciate it! 🙂

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  6. So much truth in this! I remember watching a documentary years ago, I think it was filmed in China or Japan, in which employees of some organisation went to laughter classes. Someone started laughing, and everyone else joined in. They made the point that you don’t even have to feel amused or laugh properly, but as soon as you start going ‘ha ha ha’ in a group it makes others laugh and that makes you laugh, and before you know it the whole room is laughing their heads off. I can’t imagine forming a close relationship with anyone I didn’t share a good laugh with, it is vitally important.

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  10. tearoomdelight pointed out that if one in the room laughs the whole room starts laughing. I saw that happen when the Dalai Lama was on the Piers Morgan show (and another show, I think it was with Anderson Cooper). The Dalai would laugh and then the host of the show would laugh – it was really so funny that after watching this for several minutes I would start chuckling 🙂

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  11. A Midsummer’s Night Dream is my favorite play of all time. I may have to go read it or see it again soon. Thank you for reminding me! 🙂

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