Seriously? People Don't Laugh?

"A day without laughter is a day wasted" - Charlie Chaplin

Wisdom Nugget: "Whatever you are capable of doing, do with all your might because there's no work, thought, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave, which is where you are headed"

Joy
Source: Photo Pin

As a young child growing up one of the most beautiful things I appreciated about living was "Laughter". I just loved to watch people laugh hilariously from the heart. For me it made life so beautiful. But as I grew older I noticed that lesser and lesser people laughed. Unfortunately in today's society, as with happiness in general, we seem to have forgotten how to laugh.
Dr. Michael Titze, a German psychologist tells us that,  in the 1950's people used to laugh 18 minutes a day, but today we laugh not more than 6 minutes a day, despite the huge rise in the standard of living Children can laugh up to 300-400 times a day, but when we grow up to be adults this frequency comes down to less than 15 times a day, if at all.

So why has laughter declined? Here are a few answers.  First there's the stress of living in a fast world, which is increasingly dominated by anxiety and fears. Telecommunications have made bad news instantly accessible to millions, thus accentuating the anxiety and fear. People are working long hours, under pressure to move fast. Transport is congested. Cities are crowded. Divorce and family break-ups are high. So negative stress levels are constantly on the increase. Moreover, many people live in the past, feeling guilty or resentful whilst others worry about the future. Often the cause of perceived difficulties is attributed to something or someone else. So we don't take true responsibility and find it hard to live in the moment - which of course is where laughter occurs.

During a trial, in a small Missouri town, the local prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand. The witness was a proper well-dressed elderly lady, the grandmother type, well spoken, and poised. She was sworn in, asked if she would tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, on the Bible, so help her God.

The prosecuting attorney approached the woman and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She responded, "Why, yes I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, cheat on your wife, manipulate people and talk badly about them behind their backs. You think you're a rising big shot when you haven't the sense to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper-pushing shyster. Yes, I know you quite well."
The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"
She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, has a bad drinking problem. The man can't build or keep a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. Yes, I know him."
The defense attorney almost fainted. Laughter mixed with gasps, thundered throughout the courtroom and the audience was on the verge of chaos. At this point, the judge brought the courtroom to silence, called both counselors to the bench, and in a very quiet voice said, "If either of you morons asks her if she knows me, you're going to jail."

If you are laughing, Laugh out loud my dear. Many people envy you that you can. Besides our wisdom nugget says that when you finally die, there will be plenty of time to keep a straight face void of any emotions in the quiet and lonely confines of your own space, uninterrupted by any intruders, six feet beneath the earth. Now that you can, laugh with all your heart!!!

The Gift Of Laughter

Wisdom Nugget: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Smiley
Source: Photo Pin

Bernard Martin, writes the following story in his book If God Does Not Die.
One day a pastor was called from a children's party at the Sunday school to visit a young woman whose world had collapsed into an acute depression following the death of her husband in an auto accident. She had withdrawn from everyone and shut herself in her bedroom with the blinds pulled, and she didn't communicate with anyone, including her children, because she said they reminded her of her dead husband. The minister left the party in a show of confetti which the children had thrown at him. He brushed it out of his hair and from his coat as he prepared to call on the depressed woman.
When he arrived at the woman's house, he entered her darkened bedroom and told her who he was, but there was no response. He could faintly see her pitiful form lying motionless on the bed. He tried to carry on a conversation with her, but she was unresponsive. He reached out to touch her hand, but it lay lifeless in his. So he just sat with her in the dark silence for a time.
Then he decided to act. He wanted to see the woman face to face, to read Scripture and pray. So he turned on the bedside lamp. The woman blinked and stared at him blankly. As he took out his Testament which he carried in his handkerchief pocket of his jacket, and opened it, confetti fell from it all over the bed. After an anxious and flustered moment, the minister burst into laughter. And that did it. First a smile appeared on the woman's face, and then she broke into quiet laughter. She reached out her hands to the minister in the joy of resurrection. They prayed together and she left her darkness to return to the light.

Indeed "A merry heart doeth good like medicine". It is true what  Bill Cosby said that "Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." The story of this widow is an affirmation that "Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand."- Mark Twain.

Laughing is a free gift that is familiar to every individual irrespective of race, age, profession, gender, class, or continent. Its a universal language that doesn't have to be learned. It refreshes. It heals. It brings health. Indulge in healthy laughter all through your life and you might just end up living longer...do not allow your sad experiences deprive you of this wonderful drug...do not hold back...laugh it off!

Why You Should Laugh

Wisdom Nugget: "A merry heart does good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones."

Laughter: Source- Photo Pin

Laughter is good for the heart. Yet, laughter is one serious topic many people take lightly even when we have learned of its tremendous health benefits.

You'll agree with me that in the present world that we live, you won't find much of anything that' can keep you constantly happy. Not in the news, at the office, on the street, in your own environment or even within yourself. Taking yourself too seriously in this period wouldn't do you anyone close to you any good.

It was Bill Cosby, who said that, "Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." And Mark Twain adds that, "Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand."

Laughing (to laugh) is an involuntary reaction to certain stimuli; internal or otherwise. It can arise from activities like being tickled, or from humorous stories or thoughts. It is commonly considered a visual expression of a number of positive emotional states, such as joy, mirth, happiness, relief, etc.

According to Dr. Dwenda Gjerdingen, "A good laugh is a wonderful thing. It refreshes, relieves stress, generates positive emotions, promotes communication, strengthens group identity and cohesion, and benefits both the giver and receiver. In addition to these significant benefits, there is also evidence that laughter and humor promote good health.

There is evidence that individuals with chronic or terminal illnesses ... use humor to promote healing, and that humor does have health benefits, such as improved pain tolerance and improved immune response.

Humor is defined as a stimulus that helps people laugh and feel happy, while laughter is a response to humor that involves positive physiological and psychological reactions. During laughter, various muscle groups are activated, but the period after the laugh is characterized by general muscle relaxation, which can last up to 45 minutes.

Possible medicinal benefits of humor were brought to our attention by Norman Cousins'.  He relates how laughter and vitamin C were keys to his recovery from ankylosing spondylitis. Only 10 minutes of laughter, brought on by viewing comedy films, resulted in 2 hours of pain-free sleep.

Humor does have health benefits, such as improved pain tolerance and improved immune response. One small study of cancer patients in the rural Midwest found that over 87 percent were using at least one complementary intervention to cope with the stress of cancer, with the second most popular being humor. In another cancer study, participants identified humor as an important factor for coping with cancer and cancer treatment.