Everyone enjoys a good hearty laugh. It makes us feel good, and that good feeling can stay with us even after the laughter subsides. Laughter helps us see that small things are not the earth-shaking events they sometimes seem to be. It enables us to look at a problem from a different point of view, make it seem less serious, and realize opportunities for increased objectivity and insight.



Humor is an effective way to relieve stress. Laughter leads to a cathartic release of emotion, can help to release pent-up feelings of anger and frustration in a socially acceptable way, and is often followed by a state of relaxation and a feeling of reduced tension. Aside from the psychological benefits, laughter affects the body in a number of positive ways as well. Laughter releases endorphins – natural chemicals in the body that create a feeling of pleasure and have a pain-relieving effect.



Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. It binds us together, lightens our burdens and helps us keep things in perspective. Our work, marriage and family all need humor, celebrations, play and ritual as much as record-keeping and problem-solving. We should ask the questions "Do we laugh together?" as well as "Can we get through this hardship together?" Laughter can help us see the silver lining instead of just storm clouds.



Humor unites us, especially when we laugh together. One of the things that divides humans is the energy we put into coping with life's problems or concentrating each other's limitations. Our friends and neighbors are not perfect, and neither is our marriage or family life. When we laugh together, it can bind us closer together instead of putting us in opposite camps.



Laughter heals. Laughter activates the chemistry of the will to live and increases our capacity to fight disease. The chest expands when laughing, respiration increases and forces exhausted air from the lungs. Laughing relaxes the body and problems associated with high blood pressure, strokes, arthritis, ulcers and heart disease are sometimes, reduced.



Here's how can you add laughter and humor to your everyday life:





  • Hang around funny friends, or better yet, marry a funny partner.



  • Start looking for the absurd, silly, incongruous activities that go on around you each day.



  • Take a 5-10 minute humor break each day. Read jokes, add to a humor notebook, listen to a funny tape.



  • Rent comedy videos, go to a funny movie, watch humorous programs on television.



  • If you hear a joke you really like, write it down, or tell it to someone else to help you remember it.


Try to remember that even in the most difficult of times, a laugh, or even simply a smile, can go a long way in helping you feel better. Laughs and smiles are enjoyed best when shared with others. To laugh or not to laugh is your choice.