Importance of Laughter
The old saying “he who laughs, lasts” is gaining increasing credibility today as research shows how important humor is to stress reduction. But we still don’t laugh enough. According to the Discovery Health website, “By the time a child reaches nursery school, he or she will laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh an average of 17 times a day.” A University of Maryland Medical Center study found people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
“Without humor one’s thought processes are likely to become stuck and narrowly focused, leading to increased distress,” according to the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor.
So what is the connection between laughter and stress reduction? John Morreall, a professor of religion, has been studying humor for more than 25 years. He believes that the first human laughter might have begun as a reaction of relief at the passing of danger. Research today seems to support this theory. Some researchers see laughter as a “safety valve” that shuts off the flow of stress hormones that constrict blood flow and suppress our immune systems.
Give yourself permission to laugh. Rediscover your laughter triggers. Rent old Monty Python movies. Welcome people into your life who know how to have fun. Tell yourself that it’s ok to act silly from time to time.
Realize even the most stressful situations have elements of humor. Once, when I was going through a particularly uncomfortable time and feeling a bit sorry for myself, I said to my wife, “Honey, if I lost all of my money, do you think you would still love me?” to which she immediately replied, “Of course I would love you, honey — I would miss you but I would love you.” I had to laugh.
Excerpt from 'LifeManual' by Peter H. Thomas. www.lifemanual.com. Copyright 2005, 2006. All rights reserved.
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