You Gotta Laugh
I did one of my "Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life" workshops this week and I noticed something that I have noticed before, some people have the hardest time laughing. Now I am talking adults here, because children laugh all the time. Experts say that children laugh between 300 to 500 times a day and adults laugh between 8 to 15.
Children know that laughing is good for you and very fun. Adults think they have to have a reason to laugh. Laughter is physical and requires no reason. Most of the time, as adults, we laugh for no reason. Again experts have found that we laugh most of time just to be friendly and social. That there is no punch line.
Children, on the other hand, laugh all the time for all kinds of reasons. And who looks happier, children or adults? Children, of course, look happier and are happier.
Now the cool thing is that you can laugh for no reason. As William James said, "We don't laugh because we are happy, we are happy because we laugh. If you want to be happy you gotta laugh.
How to laugh? Just do it. Even if it is fake. You gotta do it. The body does not know the difference between fake and real. Women, does this sound like anyone you know? So you just say, "TEE HEE." TEE HEE", and force a laugh out. Endorphins are released and you feel better. Endorphins are the body's natural pain killer.
Another very cool thing is laughter is exercise. So if you are like me and whenever you feel like exercising, you just lay down until the thought goes away, you can exercise by laughing.
Besides thinking we have to have a reason for laughing, why do adults stop laughing. I think another reason is that we think if we laugh we are giving up control. Some of us are so concerned with always being in control and we hate the thought of losing control.
I don't know about you but I would rather be happy than worry about losing control and I just gotta laugh. What about you?
Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.onewomanslaughter.blogspot.com
About Me
- Funny Woman, Humorist and Motivational Speaker
- At Arizona State University, Jana majored in theater and mostly was cast as a funny old woman. Now that she is getting closer to that age, she will now know how to play the part. After graduating from Arizona State University, Jana took time off to raise two kids and a husband. After the kids had gotten old enough, and there was little hope for the husband, Jana started performing again. First in theater and then she ventured into stand-up comedy. For the past twenty years Jana has been combining her theater and stand-up comedy experience with her professional career as a Speaker, Author, and Facilitator. Jana has performed for and been a speaker for business, government, and civic organizations.