By Yin Nwe Ko

THOSE who always laugh have longer longevity than those who do not. When young, I had a friend who always smiled and talked about jokes. He never seemed sad and worried about anything. As it was in our university life and we were in the same hostel, we happened to meet almost every day. I often heard his laughter from distance. He was fat and good-natured. I have remembered his words up to now. It was nothing but “Laughter is a kind of medicine”

You all might probably have heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Many medical studies show that laughter has both physical and mental benefits, but in today’s fast-paced stressful world, there is definitely a lack of laughter. People get so caught up in the have-to’s and shoulddo’s that they forget to lighten up. Laughter and humour are two powerful tools that can help people cope and get through threatening situations. Looking at life’s situations with a sense of humour and laughter provides perspective and helps keep things in balance when life seems unfair.

There are some benefits of laughter but there are also a few limits to what we really know about laughter. There have been many theories to explain the link between laughter and health. Laughter is often part of a bigger picture, the social picture. Health benefits can come from having fun with family and friends, and laughter just naturally goes along with that. While no one really knows the precise connection, we do know that it improves your quality of life.

By the way, I have met a person who never laughed. I have never seen a wink of his smile. His son and I were in the same grade when I was a high school student. Therefore, I had a chance to visit his house frequently. He was also an officer of a department at the township level. Whenever I visited my classmate, I saw him in an easy chair in the headroom sitting without saying any words to me or to other visitors of his sons. Sorry to see his laughter and even a wink of a smile from him! I did not understand what kind of man he was.

Here, I would like to state Philosopher John Morreall’s belief about laughter. It came about as a gesture of shared relief at the passing of danger. Many researchers believe that the purpose of laughter is related to human connections. Laughter happens when people feel comfortable with each other. With more laughter comes more bonding. Robert Provine, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, believes that laughter is a social function. People are 30 times more likely to laugh in social settings than when they are alone. Laughter is not a learned behaviour; it is instinctual. People who are born blind and deaf still laugh, and infants laugh before they are two months old. Before humans used speech, laughter was a simpler method of communication.

Healthy infants we have ever seen can be noticed they laugh secretly. Those lovely infants are adored by many people; even by those who do not often smile or laugh. Their laughing secretly means they are fit and fine and they like everything around them. However, some adults keep their wish to smile quietly in order to control their impression and dignity.

Each of us has our own unique sense of humour. What people find funny seems to be most significant to age. Young children are constantly discovering new things that may seem ridiculous and surprising to them and so they laugh. They also laugh, much to their parent’s dismay, at toilet jokes and cruelty to others. Pre-teens and adolescents often use humour as a tool to protect themselves or feel superior. As people mature, humour becomes more developed as they learn more. As adults gain more experiences, their sense of humour usually centres around the issues that stress them out. Other factors that affect humour are culture and the community that people come from.

There is an interesting query about laughter. It is what we have when we laugh.

Laughter has many psychological benefits. Laughter lets people harmlessly release negative emotions such as anger, sadness, and fear. While we are working at surviving, laughter can help us maintain our perspective. The next time you feel like you are losing control, allow yourself a little “humour time”. If you can find what’s funny in a situation, your upsets may not seem as important as they once did.

This is somewhat important to those who do not often laugh at least one time a day. It is not worth being human when one cannot laugh.

There are many things in life that we have no control over and cannot change. As long as we have a sense of humour, we can do something. Humour has the power to turn almost any situation around. A lot of the suffering and troubles we experience are not a result of our difficulties, but how we view them. People use humour as protection against change and uncertainty. Using humour in difficult times can be one of the smartest ways to cope with difficulties, ease our worries, and get on with life.

This proves that a man of laughter can do more things in his daily routine than one who is not interested in laughing. Laughter knows no cultural boundaries. You don’t have to speak the same language to laugh together. Laughter also helps break the ice when you are in a group. It is one form of communication to which everyone can relate.

The world’s current situation is making everyone more and more stressed. Food, clothing, and shelter are basic needs for a human being but there are so many things left to keep up with today’s standard of living. We all know the relief we feel when someone in a group makes a funny comment during a tense situation. Humour dispels anger and aggression in ourselves and others. It helps to use humour when dealing with an angry child. A study of humour in the classroom showed lower scores on aggression for students viewing a humorous video clip.

There is another interesting benefit. It is said laughing stimulates both sides of the brain. People get the message quicker and remember it longer. Children, as well as adults, learn more when they are having fun and participating in the learning.

Humour is an important, often overlooked tool. The better adjusted you are and the more satisfying your lifestyle, the more readily you will respond to the humour in jokes, cartoons, and everyday situations. Be aware of taking yourself too seriously. It is important to learn to laugh at yourself. You can learn to share your laughter and help make others laugh. This does not mean telling jokes unless that is one of your talents. It means beginning to share your humorous perspective and giving others permission to do the same. A good sense of humour is something everyone can work on. It does not just happen. Here are some suggestions to help add more laughter to your life:

• Recognize the value of humour

• Don’t worry or analyze why people laugh — just participate

• Think funny — look for humour in every situation. Learn to laugh at the incongruities in life.

• Keep a notebook and jot down the funny things you hear. Do it daily

• Adapt material. Use humour from any source. If you think nothing funny happens to you, personalize it and change it to fit you.

• Laugh at yourself. We all do stupid things. If you laugh at your mistakes, it gives others permission to do the same.

All in all, although laughter cannot cure all kinds of diseases, it is sure it can be able to make one’s mind fresh and awaken. It can also be able to make one’s muscles relax which leads to being comfortable with the difficulties for the respective person. Therefore, I would like to give my esteemed readers some useful words. “Don’t forget to laugh, please”.