Laugh 'til it Hurts!'

Webster's defines the act of laughing as follows: 'to laugh: a verb; is to: a. show mirth, b. find amusement or pleasure in something, c. to become amused or derisive'. While it is accurate, it does sound kinda clinical, so I started looking around for a better definition, and I found a few. But the best definition of laughter I ever heard came from an absent minded mother talking to her daughter, a conversation I overheard one day in Wal-Mart: "Hey mom...what’s a belly laugh?"

"When daddy gets tickled and his belly button jiggles."

In the history of mankind it is easy to see that every distinct group has humor in one form or another, and it does vary from culture to culture, but there are some constants. For example, most like physical humor, but not everyone laughs at the same jokes. It can also be age discriminatory.

When was the last time you laughed at daddy while he stuck straws up his nose trying to act like a walrus?

We, the human race, do have a great respect for someone who can make us laugh. But frankly, there are so many, they come and go and names can fade as quickly as the jokes. But physical humor has a lasting quality, and it never seems to fade, or age. I once saw a tape of a TV show from the 70’s where a man imitated a piece of frying bacon. I laughed ‘til I hurt!

And if you think about it, you can easily remember some of those masters of physical humor. Like: Lucille Ball, Soupy Sales, Victor Borge, Dick Van Dyke, Charlie Chaplain, Rowan Atkinson, Ruth Buzzi, Phyllis Diller, Steve Martin, Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, Flip Wilson, Carol Burnett and Robin Williams just to name a few.

As a body function, I rank it right up there as one of the more pleasant experiences and a lot more fun than a leg cramp. Did you know that there are tons of medical studies on how laughter effects the body? Laughter apparently increases the levels of endorphins that your body creates. What?s an endorphin? It?s the body?s natural painkiller. It also increases the effectiveness of chemicals your body uses in its immune system. It forces the body into a burst of energy specifically focused on increasing oxygen and blood to your systems, which as an added side effect, can be cardiovascular (really good for your heart). It can be infectious however, and thank goodness at this time there is no treatment for it! On a weird note, did you know that your tears are chemically different when you have high levels of emotion versus when they are just watering away allergies and stuff?

One neat benefit of laughter is that it can also bring hope and encouragement into an otherwise bleak experience. Hospitals use it regularly to aide in fighting the despair that often comes with life threatening illnesses such as cancer. It also becomes an excellent tool when properly used in the class room. Laugher which reduces stress and increases oxygen to the systems can result in a state which can actually aide the body in retaining information. Think about it. Is it easier for you to remember something when your tired or alert?

But my favorite thing about laughter is it’s natural ability to relax the human body, to ease a tense situation and produce an overall good feeling. So on that note, I’m off to watch something funny on TV...