"At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities." said Jean Houston, an american scholar and lecturer. At least one time in our lives, we might have heard proverbs such as - "If you laugh, blessings will come your way", "The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed", "Laughter is the best medicine". There's one thing in common in these proverbs around the world: Laughing is good for human. We all know that laughter is necessary for our lives. At the same time, however, laughter is one of the least understood of human behaviors. Not many of us are aware of the exact function of laughing that has tremendous effects. Furthermore, we absolutely don't know whether laughter is good only when we truly laugh, or it's also good when we're trying to laugh even if we don't feel like to. The answer starts from the clear fact - Laughter makes us feel better. If laughter can also make someone trying to laugh to get out of sadness feels better, then laughing is good for human even when it's a 'false laugh'.
"At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities." said Jean Houston, an american scholar and lecturer. Considering she said, possibilities that laughing has are so infinite that it can be compared with the universe. However, most of us are underestimating the surprisingly many effects of laughing. We say, “We absolutely know that laughing is good for human.”, but that is all we know about laughter. It is ‘just’ good. But why is it good? Which functions does it lighten up? How does it affect? Is laughing still good not only we truly laugh but also when it is a false laugh?
A ‘false laugh’ can be defined in two large groups. One is when we try to laugh to get out of or forget sadness. For example, I was very sad because my puppy died, but I tried to laugh to overcome it and cheer up. The other is when we are forced to laugh not to make the one who jokes feel bad. For example, while my boss and I were talking, he made a joke that he thought funny. It was not funny at all, but I had to laugh since he’s a superior and I could not have him feel bad. In the first case, laughing is good because laughter has a healing ability. Laughter helps someone to get through the horrific sadness of trauma, grief, abuse and neglect that one hears everyday in his or her practices. It changes someone’s sorrow into happiness and hope since laughter has a ‘transformative effects’. What about the second case I mentioned? It is still good for us because it’s not a stressful acting to laugh. Laughing itself has the ability to change our moods and gives us happy energy. What’s more, there is a saying "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people, said by Victor Borge. A small laugh will help two people to become close to each other.
A laughter, which is infinite in its possibilities can never be bad for human. And a false laugh is also a laugh. It makes us feel better, and fosters another laughter, and thus help us to make healthier mind.
An article titled 'Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind' explains the benefits and some extra information of laughing :
Scientists have found that during a good laugh three parts of the brain light up : A thinking part that helps you get the joke, a movement area that tells your muscles to move, and an emotional region that elicits the "giddy" feeling. But it remains unknown why one person laughs at your brother's foolish jokes while another chuckles while watching a horror movie. John Morreall, a pioneer of humor research at the College of William and Mary, has found that laughter is a playful response to incongruities — stories that disobey conventional expectations. Others in the humor field point to laughter as a way of signaling to another person that this action is meant "in fun." One thing is clear : Laughter makes us feel better.
From this fact that laughing affects people’s moods positively, another question that most of us did not know - whether laughing it still good not only we truly laugh but also when it's a false laugh - was able to be resolved. The reason why a false laugh still functions positively for human is that laughter itself has a positive energy, regardless of the circumstance one is involved in.
As we can find out in the article 'Laughter as Nutrition' (written by Jeff Schweitzer, Scientist and former White House Senior Policy Analyst), humor is an essential part of the human experience. It is possible that humor can often be seen as a prerogative of the privileged. For instance, the poor are difficult to have a sense of humor because of their hard lives. But It is not right. Humor can ease even the greatest suffering. Without the ability to laugh, in the face of tragedy and deprivation, our human experience would be terribly diminished. Therefore, It is possible to get out of sadness quickly when we try to laugh or force a smile.
Whether it is a false laugh or not, laugh is laugh. No matter what kind of laugh is, laughing is good for us.
Perhaps there may be plenty of people who dispute my argument. They might claim that If we Laugh when we don't feel like to laugh, it can be rather a stress to us. Though many people really think like that, It is not true. It is because laugh itself gives us happiness and joy.According to the article I found, it was written : Play Pretend. Even when facing serious illness, we have to give ourselves "permission to play," which will lighten the mood and, hopefully, cue the laughs. It suggests that no matter how we laugh, that is, whether it is a false laugh or not, any laughter will lighten our mood and makes us happier, not makes us stressful.
Another problem they might suggest to oppose my opinion would be incredible ability of our smart brains. That is, Our brains have the ability to distinguish whether it's a false laugh or not. Even though It is a absolute fact, It does not matter. Despite the brains' ability, laugh still can function positively. I can give an easy question that helps understanding this. Are the benefits of laughter disappear because our brain can distinguish whether it is a fake or not? No, Absolutely not. It is because a false laugh is still a laugh. Therefore It still has same benefits of laughter. It is not important that our brains can distinguish our minds or not. No matter what 'kind' of laugh is, laugh is always a laugh. Laughing is good for human also when it's a 'false laugh'.
As the proverb said, If you laugh, blessings will come your way. Maybe some people would concede this, but argue that a false laugh cannot be good for human. However, Even if it is a false laugh, you will be blessed and become happier than before because laughter itself has a tremendous effect : It heals us, It gives us joy, It cue the laughs, It lightens our brains, and so on. What if people avoid laughing because of the wrong information about laugh that It can rather be a stress when it's a false laugh? It should not happen. It will only make people more difficult to get out of their hardships. The easiest way to forget difficulties is to laugh out. Thus, don't hesitate to laugh. No matter it's a false laugh or not, the more you laugh, the more you will be happier. Love your laugh, embrace positive laughter, hang out with people who have a sense of humor, and laugh out loud!
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기