Do you like to laugh?

 Laughter is one of nature’s ways of getting us to release or let go without us even knowing that we need to do so.  Laughter is the release valve.  It adds extra oxygen to the body both at a cellular and organ level and it enhances your life span.  I heard a doctor say once that if you smile, you will never get colon cancer.  If you laugh, you will never get colon cancer.  I am sure there is a lot of truth in this statement.  Why you might ask?  Because if you really think about it, when you are rigid and stern, your entire body tightens up, and you lock up!  When you laugh you relax, your physical body loosens and it becomes supple and at ease.  Laughter is very therapeutic—it boasts the immune system and can stimulate the mind and body to heal itself.

Catherine Ponder said:  “ If people only knew the healing power of laughter and joy, many of our fine doctors would be out of business.  Joy is one of nature’s greatest medicines.  Joy is always healthy.  A pleasant state of mind tends to bring abnormal conditions back to normal.”

Laughter is a body-mind experience.  Your entire physiology changes when you laugh and during that time, you are free from worry, stress and frustration, so is it any wonder that those who laugh often usually live with less physical and emotional problems.  

Several years ago, a comedy-drama movie, Patch Adams, was produced about the life of a real doctor and how he used laughter to motivate, stimulate and heal his patients.  This story revolves around the life of this doctor and how he was rejected at first by his medical school and faculty because of his unorthodox behavior but later re-instated because they discovered that his methods actually improved the health of patients.

The benefits of laughter have been discussed since the beginning of recorded history. Plato in his writings believed that even the gods laughed. Socrates spoke to laughter and how he used it to get his point across, and the brilliant American humorist, James Thurber, showed laughter and humor in every day happening and people.  The purpose of this writing is to bring light to the topic of laughter and how this easy and simply attribute can and will alter the quality of your life for the better.  I personally will not read anything that fosters violence or is on the dark side.  The movies that I watch are meaningful but without anger or destructive scenes, I refuse to be around volatile people and I choose to engage in conversations that give hope and open people to seek joyful possibilities. I believe that focusing on the negative and dark side is self-destructive.  Everyone enjoys being around people who can make them laugh; my daughter is a perfect example of that quality.  Her powerful sense of humor and her charismatic personality makes her the focal point of attention.  Laughter is therapeutic for the person giving it and for those who are on the receiving end; I, therefore, encourage you to incorporate laughter into your daily life. We humans do need laughter and indeed it is the best medicine; so why not take advantage of this medicine and use it daily for best your results.

Joan Marie Ambrose

Author, Creative Writer, Motivational Speaker