|
Laughter We share our ability to laugh with our fellow primates..... It's reported that Chimpanzees even 'laugh' when tickled - this behaviour is said to go back to the very earliest of times. Our ancestors - primitive man bared his teeth as a sign of aggression or warning. If you get caught in peak hour traffic and you watch the people around you, it's evident that we have more in common with our primitive ancestors then we would like to believe. But by screwing up his face at the same time - and making strange, inarticulate, rhythmic noises - he turned aggression into friendliness, and warning into welcome. 'Do you want to fight?' became 'Do you want to play?' Laughing together is a way of strengthening social bonds between people, for laughter brings us out of ourselves and provides the human contact we need in order to survive. Laughter even has other major benefits.... When we laugh we draw air in and out of our lungs more than during normal breathing. So laughing may push more oxygen into the bloodstream, stimulating the circulation. Our heart rate often goes up at the same time, helping the process, and studies of blood samples taken from people while they were laughing show higher levels of the arousal hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline. During a bout of laughter we become physically more aroused and, as a result, afterwards we may be mentally sharper. Finally, when we laugh we experience a burst of activity followed by a period of relaxation, when our muscles are less tense than they are before. These alternating cycles of tension and calm stop us getting physically keyed-up about daily problems. So in actual fact, laughter is a form of exercise, and you might even find that if you increase your daily 'quota' of laughter, you will discover muscles that you didn't know you had. Ensure that you laugh as much as possible every day so that these muscles actually toughen up. The mental benefits relate more to our underlying sense of humour than to the act of laughing. Seeing a problem as funny breaks the overwhelming sense of tension that often goes with it, and an intimidating problem can become more manageable. Psychologists regard humour as a vital way of dealing with day-to-day problems. In fact in the UK, one of the suggestions that Psychologists insist on when treating their patients for depression, is to sign up with their local library and read books that inspire them, or in particular books that they find humorous to encourage their 'laughter'. If you are feeling really low, and just don't have the energy to read the funnies in the newspaper, go and rent a video that has been recommended as funny, watch and be amazed at how much better you will feel. My friend and I decided to test this theory, when the continuos rain kept us indoors and feeling a bit blue, we rented a video/comedy every single night for a week. We laughed a lot that week, our sides ached for a while, but amazingly enough - my friend lost 2 kg's and I lost 1 kg! The incredible thing was that we even indulged in all the things that make watching movies fun! Laughter helps promote and sustain mental good health, for people with a well-developed sense of fun usually have fewer emotional problems. People who laugh together - such as husbands and wives - have a better chance of staying together, and being happy together. It also helps to improve your sex life! If you have that sense of fun and laughter, it will increase your intimacy levels, and trust me, it certainly improves the 'quality' of your lovemaking with each other. Lets face it, laughter on the surface is a sign of something deeper and more significant - it reflects a particular way of looking at the world which makes us feel better, and may even help us to live longer according to one book I read recently. It certainly manifest positively on our body’s - so..... Try our Laugh Out Loud Diet! [ Laughter ] ******************************************** “A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.” -- William A. Ward ******************************************** “I was strongest when I laughed at my weakness.” -- Elmer Diktonius ******************************************** |