It is said that children laugh on average 300 times a day compared to adults who laugh 17 times a day. How many times in a day do you laugh?
We often say that laughter is the best medicine. But how true is this?
The Book Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins, highlights how laughter, courage and tenacity became the medicine for a terminal illness – Ankylosing spondylitis – a Painful collagen illness that rendered him immobile and nearly incapable of moving his jaw. When Mr. Cousins was diagnosed with the ailment, the doctor prescribed natural healing resources, and the patient quickly discovered that merely ten minutes of induced hearty laughter would result in two hours of painless sleep. Determined to fight the disease, with time Norman ‘laughed’ his way out of a crippling disease that doctors thought to be irreversible.
This got me wondering, if a disease that has a low survival rate can be cured by laughter in the long-run, how about the stresses, anxiety and depression that are directly linked to our emotional well-being?
No matter how bad things get, there is always a reason to smile and sometimes even a reason to laugh out aloud. Have you ever been in a fix such that there is no way out, and you find yourself laughing, how does it make you feel? So much better and less stressed!
The next time we find ourselves feeling so low and worked out, do something that makes you smile or laugh – watch a funny clip, talk to someone who makes you smile, read something funny – whatever makes you brighten up, do it! No matter how tough it gets, find the strength to laugh! To get a male perspective on this, check out Mitchell’s post HERE
