Why You Need To Laugh

DI MO dapat dibdibin at h’wag mong masyadong isipin. Tumawa ka. Tawanan mo ang ‘yong problema,” one song goes.

In frustration and depression, many end their life. In this uncertain world it is tiring to always find a solution to nagging problems, which until now remain unsolved. These problems added with yours may make you frustrated and depressed. Consequently, you need something to cheer you up. And the advice of the song above helps a lot.

To give you comfort, Gotthold Eprahim Lessing, a witty German writer in the 18th century said, “Laughter keeps us more rational than frustration.” While the Bible said, “A cheerful heart is a good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). On the other hand, Dr. William Fry, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford Medical School and one of the leading experts on humor, has discovered that people who have the ability to laugh get tons of benefits.

Dr. Fry discovered that people who have the ability to laugh at problems aren’t as likely to get depressed, angry, or tired. They tend to have more energy and courage to get through life. They are considered more creative and less rigid, showing confidence and credibility.

Laughter can be a natural painkiller. It is a good exercise that helps prevent headache and stress. It can even contribute to a longer life. “Laughing 100 times a day gives you the same exercise as 10 times of rowing,” Dr. Fry said.

The doctor also said that laughter improves creative thinking. It helps keep relationships healthy. And couples who laugh often have lasting marriages.

“Laughter is one of our defenses against a tense situation and a very important weapon we use against the three worst negative emotions: fear, anger and depression,” Dr. Fry admonished.

“If you fear something and you can find something to laugh about at, you don’t fear it anymore. If you can be amused by some element that will otherwise make you angry, you’re not going to get as angry,” Dr. Fry enthused.

Also in a study, which Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology in Maryland, presented in the United States, he found that of the 300 men and women surveyed, around 40 percent who had suffered a heart attack laugh less than people with no heart problems.

The study also found that when a person laughs, his facial muscles relax, convulsions begin in the diaphragm, and gushes of endorphins (pain relieving opiate) are release into the brain.

Like exercise, the effects of laughter are cumulative. Each new laugh build on the last one, just like pumping iron. Have you seen people laugh when they see others laugh? It’s happened because laughing is contagious. “And many say that it is a great way to make more friends.

But in laughing, you need to avoid malicious laugh at others. It can hurt people deeply. Don’t laugh also when you have put something into your mouth. Though people who see you laugh alone may perceive you crazy, it doesn’t matter. What matters most is you still have control of yourself. You are still the captain of your ship.

You may say that laughing all those problems you have faced today is easier said than done. But if you can see that life is temporary and that God is in charge, you can laugh instead of cry. You have hope, after all. All you need to do is relax. If you feel comfortable with yourself, you can laugh easier, and feel more comfortable with yourself.

In the end, laughter, as Sir Peter Ustinov once remarked, is the only thing that distinguishes man from animal.

(This article was published in Philippine Panorama, March 31, 2002.)