“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.”—Elbert Hubbard
Don’t be so serious. Lighten up. Have fun. Laughter is medicine (sort of).
Laughter may or may not have proven health benefits. Surprisingly, there is not a plethora of quality research on the physiological effects of laughing, but, who cares, it feels good when we laugh. Laughter is certainly “well-centered”.
Laughter is Spiritual. Let’s face it laughing to one’s self is more than just a little awkward. Humor is meant to be shared. Laughter is contagious. And when we can laugh at ourselves, we are showing that we aren’t so self-centered, after all.
Laughter affects us Physically. C’mon. If a glass of wine can be said to be equivalent to an hour at the gym (I have some issues with that conclusion. Maybe in a future post….), surely a good belly laugh has some positive effects—at least you are using muscles and burning calories. There have been noted effects on the immune system, blood pressure, stress hormones, etc. It certainly relaxes us and acts to counter our stress.
Laughter is Intellectual. According to a Business Insider article, “Scientists say being funny is associated with having above-average intelligence”, by Shana Lebowitz (any relation to Fran?), it is (http://www.businessinsider.com/being-funny-is-associated-with-having-above-average-intelligence-2015-11). “A good sense of humor is sexually attractive, perhaps because it reveals intelligence, creativity, and other ‘good genes’ or ‘good parent’ traits” (Greengoss & Miller, 2011, p.188)—I just had to share this one for my dad!. Undoubtedly, humor is good for brain function.
Laughter is Emotional. Duh. It is hard to carry around negative emotions when one is laughing to the point of tears.
And of course, laughter is Social. As Greengoss and Miller (2011) point out “humor is sexually attractive.” We like to be around funny people. We tell jokes to attract people to us.
I probably don’t have to work too hard to make my case. We all want to laugh. Unfortunately, sometimes we take our lives or our situation too seriously. We shouldn’t. While we strive to be (extra)ordinary and to be successful, we need to relax and take time to laugh.
Humor is in my blood. If there is a humor gene, I got it. Having the gene does not necessarily mean everyone else thinks I am funny, but….
I have an 8-year-old daughter who has inherited this unique family gene. Presently, she is mastering her impersonation of Matt Foley, the motivational speaker in a van down by the river. She makes me laugh. She makes everyone laugh. She brightens the room with her humor.
Give yourself time to smile and laugh. Be intentional with your laughter. Make humor a part of your well-centered growth plan. Like Elbert Hubbard said, none of us is getting out of here alive, so lighten the load for yourself and others.
Carpe momento (and tell a joke)!
Greengoss, G. & G. Miller. (2011). Humor ability reveals intelligence, predicts mating success, and is higher in males. Intelligence, 39:188-192.