Laugh, and the World Laughs with You! (Feb 7, 2010)
How often do you laugh? When was the last time you laughed?
In this highly competitive world, many working adults are greatly stressed; they have targets and deadlines to meet. They look serious and smile has disappeared from their face and laughter seems to be of the distant past; they have forgotten how to laugh. It seems like people stay so stressed out and are on the verge of a blow up at any time.
In one of the seminars I conducted in Guangzhou, China, I threw a question to the floor, I asked: How do you laugh? Not many participants knew how to demonstrate a laugh. One of the participants stood up and told me, we should not laugh out loud as this could be construed as a form of impolite gestures. While this could be true, I think it could be more of a belief. The belief could have been formed because of their culture and how they were brought up. They could have been brought up from a reserved background. They hold back their emotions and keep all the stress and pressure to themselves. This can be good occasionally. However, there are more disadvantages than advantages in holding on our negative emotions.
In fact, we can turn our negative emotions by laughing out loud. We can transform negative emotions into positive forces. We can laugh out loud when we are angry instead of throwing a tantrum, scolding people or quarrelling with them. Laughter is beneficial to us both emotionally and physically. Laughter can be contagious; when someone in a group laughs, very often, the rest of the group will join in and laugh spontaneously. Laughing with others helps us to connect with them, open the door to communication and helps to improve relationship. Imagine living in a society that is full of laughter, no sorrow and no pain. Isn’t it heaven!
Laughter is beneficial to us both emotionally and physically. It relieves stress, stimulates healing, exercises certain parts of the body, and helps in human bonding. It cheers people up; laughter can turn a bad situation to good; laughter can break the barrier in all kinds of controversial situation. Laughter has been found to reduce the amount of stress hormones and help us cope with our lives better. It is often said, "Laughter is the best medicine". When we laugh, the body makes facial gestures and sounds. The body relaxes during laughter. The diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles all get a workout. Scientists have found that laughing one hundred times is equal to a ten-minute workout on a rowing machine, or fifteen minutes on an exercise bicycle. Laughter helps to promote healing in the body by lowering blood pressure and increasing blood flow. When we laugh, the production of T -cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, and more Gamma interferon (which is a disease fighting protein) is released.
There is a special name for the physiological and psychological study of laughter. It is called gelotology. Scientists have discovered that within four-tenths of a second of seeing something humorous, an electrical wave moved through the cerebral cortex of the brain. If the wave took a negative charge, there was laughter. Many areas of the brain are involved in making us laugh. The emotional, the intellectual, and the sensory processing parts of our brain all play a role in stimulating the motor sections of our brain to physically make us laugh.
Smile is the first step towards laughter. Smile more and laughter will follow. Spend time with happy people. I have a staff that is joyful and she smiles and laughs a lot. She lightens the office which leads to a more conducive working atmosphere and increase in productivity. Attend comedy movies and read humorous books. Play non-competitive games and have fun with friends. Poke fun at yourself and people will laugh with you. Laugh, and the world laughs with you.You will feel healthier, wealthier and wiser and even live longer. You will be ready to take on whatever challenges life brings your way. As said E.E. Cummings, the most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
Esther Law is a director, consultant, trainer, Past Division Governor of Toastmasters International, President for Lions Club of Kuching Host (2009-2010). Esther is also the Overseas Director of Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou, China. If you have any comments about this article you can contact her at lawleepoh@gmail.com
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