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Hanover's World: It feels good to laugh
By Mary Tiedtke
Mon Aug 27, 2007, 05:17 PM EDT
Hanover -We have all heard the old saying that laughter is the best medicine.
We all love the feeling that having a good laugh brings to us but many of us may not know that laughter actually can be good for us in more ways than one.
The ability to have a good laugh can help us during times of stress or help us cope with the problems of daily life. It has actually been proven to reduce stress hormones in people and aid in strengthening our immune system when we experience laughter.
We all know that holding negative emotions inside can be harmful to us but when we release these emotions through laughter they are no longer stored inside us causing us distress.
Laughter has actually become widely studied for its benefits by many mental health professionals who suggest "laughter therapy," which teaches people how to use laughter to deal with problems and troubling life situations by using humor.
The movie "Patch Adams," starring Robin Williams was about a real life doctor who became aware of the therapeutic benefits of laughter. His awareness sparked a greater awareness among other physicians and psychiatrists.
Often times we may hear a funny joke or read something a friend has sent us via email that makes us smile.
While this is certainly a nice feeling, such things may not bring us to the type of laughter that causes tears to run down our face. Often times the things that cause us to truly laugh out loud take us by surprise.
One night earlier this month, when my daughters and my mother and I went to visit my niece in her new apartment, my mother turned on a television show that she thought the girls would laugh at. It was appropriately called "Just For Laughs."
It airs Tuesday evenings at 8 p.m. It is a new program that somewhat resembles the old show "Candid Camera." People working for the program do funny things in public to see what the reaction of the people around them will be.
As we watched it together each situation seemed to be funnier than the last and before we knew it the laughter became contagious and the tears started to flow. We all agreed that we had not laughed that hard in a very long time, but that it felt great to do so.
Many of us tend to tune into the latest crime dramas on television or watch the evening news to unwind after a long day but surely these shows do not leave us with the same high as the ones that make us laugh.
Clearly not everyone laughs at the same thing so you need to find what is right for you.
Surrounding yourself with people who make you laugh, choosing to watch a funny program, playing a great board game with friends — we recommend Mad Gab to make you laugh until you cry — or even reading a humorous book may be what works for you.
