Let’s Laugh More
Written Winter of 2006

There is a “time to weep and a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4) Let’s choose to laugh more and worry less in 2007!

If you’re like me it’s easy to feel “down in the dumps” during the gray, short days of winter. Vanessa, my 11-year old daughter, tells me (she heard it from a reliable source) I need to laugh every morning right after I get up.  Even if there is nothing funny, “you just make yourself laugh.” According to her, the whole day will go better if I laugh first. Well, I will attest to the fact that if my husband and I find something humorous in the early morning hours, the rest of the day does go immensely better.  But if we start ranting about money issues or why the dog has to track in mud, the day doesn’t go so well.

According to Mike Moore (2006 Self Improvement Online, Inc.) “laughter isn’t just fun, it’s good for us. Modern medicine is discovering more and more about the therapeutic dimension of humor and laughter and is encouraging us to add them to our wellness program. When we laugh we:

• Alleviate depression
• Lower our blood pressure
• Promote relaxation
• Reduce stress
• Increase the oxygen level in our blood, giving us more energy
• Increase the endorphin activity in our body resulting in a sense of well being
• Are able to keep things in perspective
• Banish boredom
• Are more socially attractive – people enjoy being with those who laugh easily and often
• Immeasurably increase our enjoyment of life

Laughter has been called social glue because it bonds us to the people we laugh with. The message is clear, to live better…laugh more. If it feels good to laugh then laugh to feel good.”