Laughter, the Antidote to Stress

Laugh out loudly, you will feel healthier

I still remember my favorite comedian Charlie Chaplin. He never spoke a word, he did not have to yet, he made everyone laugh. Charles Chaplin was a genius of his time. His sketches were around socially relevant themes. He viewed the world from a comedic perspective.

When we watch stand-up comics today, we laugh at their jokes. They speak to us at a deeper level. Their jokes make us laugh because they make light of otherwise serious situations. If we watch our favorite comic perform, we know what to expect. The comedian knows how we feel, as he understands what we are all going through in life. Yet, he or she succeeds in making us smile or laugh as they tell the funny story to us.

There have been so many movies and stand-up comics who have impressed me with their humor, from Charlie Chaplin and Norman Wisdom with their slapstick comedy to Jeeves and Wooster as well as the characters in “All! Allo!”, the television series.

The Mel Brooks movies were also great with wit and humor. The genius of Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, and Lee Evans should not be forgotten. The television series with a laugh upon laughs, which really impressed me with their wit, jokes, and satire, was the now legendary “Friends”, “Not Going Out” and “Goodness Gracious Me”. But, the King of all the Comedians for me is still Peter Sellers with all his gags and impressions, in the Pink Panther series.

We live in a time where there are so many stressful situations and activities taking place. To begin with, we have the pandemic, then we have our studies, careers, jobs, family, relationships, and the struggle for some sort of normality during these extra-ordinary times.

Always remember that life is about change and no two days are the same. Even stressful situations change over time and there is a solution to every difficult issue in life. Sometimes, we need to look at our problems from a different perspective. View the same difficult issue, with fresh eyes, when you change your reaction to it and add a slice of humor to the issue. Make a list of possible ways to handle a difficult event and a solution will come to you.

We need to laugh more, at ourselves and our life. Laughter has a number of health benefits. A few of the noteworthy benefits of laughter are that it lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormone levels, improves cardiac health, exercises your abs, triggers the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers), boosts T-Cells (specialized immune system cells), which provides a sense of general well-being and longevity.

Apart from being good for your health, laughter is a sign of goodwill towards others. As a result of the study of laughter, a new form of yoga has developed called “Laughter Yoga”. You can exercise, meditate and gain the added advantage of having a good laugh while doing it.

Personally, when I feel “under-the-weather”, I watch a good comedy movie or television series, have a good laugh, and feel better. I know that I have given myself a dose of “Laughter Therapy”, which is beneficial for my health and makes me feel more positive.