LAUGH YOUR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH | WORLD LAUGHTER DAY | DR. GEETANJALI PAREEK

 

LAUGH YOUR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH | WORLD LAUGHTER DAY

“A day without laughing is a day wasted” - Charlie Chaplin

“Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.”- Arnold H. Glasow 

“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”- William Makepeace Thackeray

 

These are some of the sayings we have often heard. But how many of us actually laugh? Do you know according to a study, Betty-Ann Heggie “children laugh about 400 times a day, but adults on average laugh only about 15 times.”

 

The insightful quote by Charlie Chaplin basically means that if we spend one day of our lives not laughing, then life becomes second-rate and without real soulful purpose. And World Laughter Day reminds us of this. It’s a global celebration of laughter, smiling and of all things positive! Laughter is good for the soul. It may not resolve complex situations, but it does a great job of making us feel better.

 

When is World Laughter Day?

Every year, on the first Sunday of the month of May, World laughter Day is observed throughout the world. This year, World Laughter Day will be observed on May 5.

 

What is the History of World Laughter day?

World Laughter Day was established in 1998 and the first celebration was on 10 May 1998, in Mumbai, India, arranged by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement. The day is now celebrated on first Sunday of May worldwide.

Dr. Kataria, a family doctor in India, was inspired to start the Laughter Yoga movement in part by the facial feedback hypothesis, which postulates that a person's facial expressions can have an effect on their emotions.

When in worry, laugh it away – this mantra helps in getting over stress and being happy, no matter what life throws at us. It is believed that when people laugh more, they live more, and live better. Laughter helps in having a more optimistic view towards life. Laughter has a psychological impact on the body, where it feels happier and more contented. Not just that, laughing more has a direct effect on the physical health as well. It helps in reducing discomfort and improving immunity of the body. World Laughter Day is celebrated to create awareness on the health benefits of laughter and staying happy.

 

Significance of World Laughter Day:

World Laughter Day promotes world peace and the idea of creating friendship and brotherhood through the act of laughter. Laughter helps in reducing Cortisol – the stress hormone in the body, thereby initiating better health and emotions. It also helps in aiding weight loss and promoting face and core muscle workout. It creates bursts of energy in the body, thereby creating better positive and an optimistic outlook.

 

The Benefits of Laughter:

It’s true: laughter is powerful medicine. It draws people simultaneously in ways that activate healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens our immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects one from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more consistently to carry your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens our burdens, inspires hope, connects us to others, and keeps us grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps us let go anger and forgive and forget more quickly.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a wonderful supply for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and sustaining both physical and emotional health. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults, life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. But by seeking out more opportunities for humor and laughter, you can improve your emotional health, strengthen your relationships, find greater happiness and even add years to your life.

 

Laughter Is Good For Your Health:

1.  Laughter relaxes the whole body: A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

2.  Laughter boosts the immune system: Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

3.  Laughter triggers the release of endorphins: Endorphins are the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even for the time being relieve pain.

4.  Laughter protects the heart: Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.

5.  Laughter burns calories: Definitely , it’s no replacement for going to the gym, but one study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories, which could be sufficient to lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.

6.  Laughter lightens anger’s profound load: Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into standpoint and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto hostility or resentment.

7.  Laughter may even help you to live longer: A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humor outlived those who don’t laugh as much. The difference was particularly notable for those battling cancer.

 

World Laughter Day Quotes:

•       “Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It's the sweetest thing one can do for oneself and one's fellow human beings.” Maya Angelou

•       “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” Victor Hugo

•       “I am especially glad of the divine gift of laughter: it has made the world human and lovable, despite all its pain and wrong.”  W.E.B. Du Bois

•       “A good laugh is as good as a prayer sometimes.” L.M. Montgomery

•       “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” Mark Twain

•       “Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” Lord Byron

•       “I have not seen anyone dying of laughter, but I know millions who are dying because they are not laughing.” Dr. Madan Kataria

 

So why frown when you can laugh? Incorporating Laughter Wellness into the World Laughter Day celebration bolsters the power of positive energy and provides a supportive environment to connect with other like-minded individuals.

 

So in the end I will like quote Arnold Glasow, “Laugh to forget, but don’t forget to laugh.”

 

References:

1. Betty-Ann Heggie, The Healing Power of Laughterhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2. Buchowski, M. S., Majchrzak, K. M., Blomquist, K., Chen, K. Y., Byrne, D. W., &Bachorowski, J.-A. (2007). Energy expenditure of genuine laughter. International Journal of Obesity, 31(1), 131–137.
3. Laugh and be thankful—It’s good for the heart—Harvard Health. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/laugh-and-be-thankful-its-good-for-the-heart-20101124839
4. Manninen, S., Tuominen, L., Dunbar, R. I., Karjalainen, T., Hirvonen, J., Arponen, E., Hari, R., Jääskeläinen, I. P., Sams, M., &Nummenmaa, L. (2017). Social Laughter Triggers Endogenous Opioid Release in Humans. The Journal of Neuroscience, 37(25), 6125–6131.
5. Miller, M., & Fry, W. F. (2009). The effect of mirthful laughter on the human cardiovascular system. Medical Hypotheses, 73(5), 636–639.
6. Romundstad, S., Svebak, S., Holen, A., & Holmen, J. (2016). A 15-Year Follow-Up Study of Sense of Humor and Causes of Mortality: The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(3), 345–353.
7. Speer, M. E., & Delgado, M. R. (2017). Reminiscing about positive memories buffers acute stress responses. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(5), 0093.
8. Yim, J. (2016). Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter in Mental Health: A Theoretical Review. The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, 239(3), 243–249.
9.   www.wikipedia.com
10.  www.betterhelp.com