Laugh, and the world laughs with you........

   Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), had the ability to take everyday

situations  and turn them into comedy gold.

If you have never watched a Charlie Chaplin movie, I highly recommend you to watch a few such as The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, The Dictator, or Monsieur Verdoux. Yes, they are old, some are silent movies, most in black and white, but the stories they tell about humanity is surpassed by few in my opinion.

So, what makes something funny?

What makes us laugh?

Do we have to be happy to be able to laugh?

According to some; no. Laughter is an un(sub)conscious response, to laugh is part of the human vocabulary that needs no translation. No matter what language we speak, we all know how to laugh.

Robert Provine, a Neuro scientist and psychology professor, discovered through his research that

what we mostly laugh at in our every day lives are not "jokes", rather, our laughing, is an inherently social behaviour, and at the core, it is a form of communication.

When you watch a comedy (or whatever you consider humorous) by yourself, do you laugh as much as you would if you were watching it together with others? Do some things seem funnier when we share the experience with someone else?

Sharing laughter with others, often binds us together and in doing so, increase our sense of intimacy and feelings of happiness. Some suggest that laughter also strengthen our immune system, boost our energy levels, help us forget pains we may be enduring, and help us de-stress.

 But I guess, the biggest benefit of laughter is that it makes us feel good, and when we feel good it can often be easier to have an optimistic and positive outlook on life.

 Looking at things (life) occasionally from a humorous perspective can help us to create a "psychological distance", enabling us to feel less overwhelmed with the "goings on" in our lives.

Not always easy to do perhaps, .... some of us, live very difficult and complicated lives.

However, if laughing is an unconscious response we all share then perhaps it may be helpful to take some time out now and then to watch a comedy on TV, or a funny movie, play a silly game, read a funny book, watch the "Funny Cats" on youtube, or whatever we may find humorous.

When we laugh, our bodies release endorphins (feel good chemicals/neuro transmitters) and we can't help but feel invigorated and uplifted.

There are times when we may need to be serious and self reflective, but there are also times when we may need to be more light hearted and give ourselves the permission to just enjoy a good laugh.

Even if for just a brief moment.

 

"A person who knows how to laugh at himself, will never stop being amused." (Shirley MacClain)

"Everybody laughs the same in every language because laughter is a universal connection."

(Jacob Smirnoff)

"Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine." (Lord Byron)

"It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either." (Wayne Dyer)