We are all part of the rat race.  There are always things to do, places to visit, work to complete, family to look after, people to see and results to accomplish.  All these tasks make us stressed, which, in turn, can make us angry, frustrated and bitter.  In order not to feel that way, we need to attempt to reduce the stress and to make ourselves feel more positive about a particular situation.  This can definitely be achieved by laughter, which is a free and readily available medicine for the body and the spirit.  There is an Irish proverb, which states that “a good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book”.

Scientists have shown through extensive research that simply by laughing we can help relieve pain, bring higher level of happiness, boost energy and even increase immunity.   Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones and increases the level of positive hormones like endorphins and the number of antibody-producing cells in our body, resulting in improved immunity.  Laughter also improves the function of the blood vessels and increases blood flow, resulting in diminished risks of a heart attack.

When you laugh, it brings the feeling of cleanliness, exercises the diaphragm and contracts various muscles, leaving them more relaxed afterward. Laughter and humour can also alter our perspective of the situation, where we begin to view events as challenges rather than threats, therefore treating them as more positive and improving our outlook on life.  We laugh a lot and for no apparent reason as children, but tend to forget how to do it often by the time we enter adulthood.

Charlie Chaplin was quoted saying that “a day without laughter is a day wasted”.  Therefore, stop wasting time! Laugh at all the obstacles, smile through the tears, jump over barriers and live like today is your last day, as without laughter and humour we would all go insane.