Laughter: the action or sound of laughing
Laugh:
1a: to show emotion (such as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound
The A to Z challenge continues–with Laughter
Two days ago, I wrote about Joy. And now, with a little kindness in-between, we’re moving on to laughter. I love to laugh–as does Uncle Albert. This was one of my favorite scenes in Mary Poppins (along with Chim-chim-cheree and all those dancing chimney sweeps), one of my favorite movies. I started making up silly laughs inspired by that song.
Is laughter really the best medicine?
Laughing feels good. I remember when I was a kid–maybe 8 or 9–laughing with my friends so hard and not be able to stop. We laughed until our sides ached. It didn’t matter what invoked the laughter, the laughter itself was the thing.
And another reason I love working with young children is the sound of their laughter. It makes me feel happy to hear them laugh. I read somewhere that children on average laugh 200 times a day, and adults average about 25 times a day.
When I first started teaching, an evaluator came in and one of the things she told me was that I had a three-year-old sense of humor (all the children in my class were 3 at that time). She insisted that it was a compliment.
But science shows that laughing really does provide health benefits. Here’s an interesting article on all the benefits of laughter–physical, emotional, social, plus ideas for how to promote more laughter in your life.
Here’s a summary of the benefits:
Physical health benefits of laughter:
- Boosts immunity
- Lowers stress hormones
- Decreases pain
- Relaxes your muscles
- Prevents heart disease
Mental health benefits of laughter:
- Adds joy and zest to life
- Eases anxiety and tension
- Relieves stress
- Improves mood
- Strengthens resilience
Social benefits of laughter:
- Strengthens relationships
- Attracts others to us
- Enhances teamwork
- Helps defuse conflict
- Promotes group bonding
And here’s an old John Cleese video about laughing clubs in Mumbai. John Cleese is one of those people who makes me laugh. I used to love Monty Python when I was in high school. I used to watch it with my nerdy drama friends–and laugh.
Laughing is a kind of blossoming
When we laugh, the color blooms in our cheeks, our lungs expand, we feel alive (this may not be true if we’re laughing at someone to be mean–I’m talking about true laughter).
When I think about when I laugh the most, it’s when I’m with young children or with my Mom. For some reason, when we’re together, we laugh a lot. It’s pretty wonderful!
What makes you laugh? Some things I read or watch make me laugh. Sometimes jokes make me laugh–although I rarely remember them to pass them along. I like cartoons and just being silly with people I love. I’ve never tried laughter yoga, although I have a friend who teaches it. The idea of laughing with a bunch of people I don’t know puts me off, but I might really like it if I tried it. Maybe someday. But in the meantime, I’ll hang out with Mom when I can and little ones when I start my new part-time job next week at the sweet little Waldorf school near me.
Keep on blooming–and thanks for stopping by.
xoxo
I actually painted, “The most wasted of days is one without laughter” on one of the walls in my house.
Clearly, I agree!
Happy A-Z’ing
That’s awesome. And you made sure I didn’t waste my day! What else did you paint on your walls?
Happy a-z’ing to you, too
Above the coat rack is my grandma’s saying,
“Here’s your hat – what’s your hurry?”
There is more planned as I redo rooms but I’m not there yet. 😀
It sounds like you have a fun house!
Yes, yes, yes to the power and magic of laughing. My brother has the magical ability to make me laugh in the childish, snorting,, holding-my-sides-don’t-dare-look-at-each-other-or-we’ll-just-set-ourselves-off-again manner. I can’t tell you how much it delights me, despite the occasional well-deserved eye rolls we earn from our partners.
I’m usually quiet and serious and people are often surprised when they discover how much I like to laugh. I like to celebrate unexpected laughter as well, like when on public transportation someone reading laughs aloud. That’s magic to me, and I can’t help but grin in appreciation. I’ve certainly done my share of laughing aloud when reading, and hope it sparks a bit of joy in others who might overhear. Laughter is a most wonderful sound!
Thanks for sharing this! What a blessing to have someone in your life who you can laugh with like that! Here’s to the magic of laughter!