Why You Need to Laugh More

Laughter is a game changer. It counters stress and relieves pain. It stimulates the brain, aids memory, expands awareness and can change perception. It elevates mood, creates a bond between people and has multiple physical benefits.

Wow! If laughter can do all that, why aren’t we laughing our way to health and happiness? Our grandparents laughed three times more than we do. What happened??? Are we taking life too seriously?

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities. Dr. Seuss
Humor promotes open-mindedness & positive thinking. It can make us look at things from a different angle which is why studies found that it is mentally stimulating. 
Two men walked into a bar.
You’d think one of them would have seen it. 
By causing a shift in perception, humor also changes  emotions. Laughing at a situation alleviates anxiety, strengthens the ability to deal with it. Laughing increases cope-ability. Just anticipating a humorous experience alleviates stress. When people were told they would soon be shown a funny movie, they immediately started producing feel good hormones that held up to 24 hours!
Upon reaching the age of 100, a man was interviewed by the local radio station.
“What’s your secret to living so long?” 
“I never argue with anyone.”
“Surely that can’t be true.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Laughter is cathartic. It undoes harmful biochemical changes that come from holding negative thoughts and painful feelings.
If it were not for these stories, jokes, jests, I should die; they give vent – are the vents – of my moods and gloom. Abraham Lincoln

Following one my laughter lectures, a gentleman told me that he was drowning in grief after his wife died. He was watching television one day and something made him laugh out loud. Immediately, he noticed that he felt better, the best he’d felt in months. Thereafter, he embarked on a healing through humor path. As he started focusing on all the good times and humorous experiences he and his wife had shared, he began smiling and laughing again. The more he laughed, the more his burden of sorrow eased. Gradually, his entire mood and outlook shifted.
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. Victor Hugo

Hormones released by stress suppress the immune system and constrict blood vessels. Laughter is a stress buster. It shakes up the insides, strengthens the immune system, and increases endorphins which counter pain. It massages internal organs, works the respiratory system and improves cardiovascular flexibility. As if all that isn’t enough, laughter can help you lose weight. Belly laughing is aerobic exercise. It burns calories and builds abdominal and back muscles.
Actual answers to SAT questions. (I hope they got credit for originality):
Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? A: Keep it in the cow.
Q: What is the fibula? A: A small lie.
Q: What does “varicose” mean? A: Nearby.
Q: What is a terminal illness? A: When you are sick at the airport.
Laughter is socially bonding. It’s contagious. Like yawning, we automatically mimic it. The louder the laughter, the harder it is to suppress the urge. 

Laughter dispels negativity. It diminishes aggression and creates harmony between people. Whether we’re laughing or making someone else laugh, we feel better. And when we feel good, we make better decisions.
When a little girl’s cat died, her mother explained, “Now your cat is in heaven with God.”
“What in the world would God want with a dead cat?” she asked.
People who laugh easily are healthier, happier and more resilient so…