Happiness/Humor/Laughter/site

Gerry Hopman ⁽⁷⁹⁾ Canada

How Important is Laughter?

Posted Tuesday, June 30, 2009 (146 days 15 hours ago.) Viewed 628 times.

Nothing is more important than your smile and your laughter. They are your personal signature and are totally unique to you.

Babies start laughing when they are 10 -12 weeks old. When they laugh their whole body moves and bounces. Everything in their small bodies is engaged in a laughter that's innocent, pure and contagious.

Children at the age of 5 laugh on the average 400 times a day. Unfortunately that greatly diminishes as they get older. Adults over the Age of 30 laugh on the average only 4 - 6 times day.

If people only realized how good laughter is for them. It is a very powerful force that affects the whole body. Breath released during a hearty laugh has been measured as fast as 170 miles per hour.

The physical benefits of laughter are phenomenal. It stimulates the brain, the nervous system, the respiratory system, the hormonal system, and the body's muscles.

In addition, it lowers blood pressure, lightens depression, strengthens the immune system and reduces stress.

For us to stay healthy, we need to release build-up tensions. Many people release these tensions by doing Yoga, Tai Chi, or Meditation. There is however a simpler way and that is laughter.

When we laugh, even just chuckle, the entire body works towards improving your health and well-being.

Laughter is also a pain reliever, as it triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural pain killers, which provide a temporary distraction from the pain. ( for more information on this, see my website http://www.humor-laughter.com 'Norman Cousins' page )

Medical professionals have recognized the powers of laughter and are starting to introduce humor in the treatment of patients.

Laughing is totally natural: it's organic, naturally sweet, 100% wholesome, has no chemicals, no preservatives, no artificial additives, you don't require batteries, it's low in energy consumption and high in body energy gain, it's non-fattening, it's non-polluting, free of cholesterol, trans-fat and saturated fat, you don't have to join an expensive health club and wear ridiculous Spandex outfits, you can practice it 24 hours a day, and there is absolutely no cost.

To stay informed about the countless benefits of humor and laughter, visit Gerry's website http://www.humor-laughter.com and sign up for his monthly newsletter - 'The Humormesiter's Forum' and receive a FREE e-book 'Manage your stress with humor and laughter.'

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Recession Proof yourself with Humor and Laughter

Posted Tuesday, February 17, 2009 (279 days 16 hours ago.) Viewed 36 times.

Too many people these days suffer from chronic seriousitis. It shows up in the stern faces, furrowed brows, bad hair days, up-tight behavior, and the loss of perspective.

We need to lighten up! We take ourselves way too serious with disastrous effects to our personal health and wellness. We need to recognize that 'laughter is the best medicine.'

What most of us don't realize is that by not laughing, we miss out on many health benefits. A good laugh massages face, shoulders and stomach muscles, reduces blood pressure, increases oxygen flow, boosts immune system, and causes a reduction in stress-inducing chemicals.

Research has shown that laughter works faster on our body than Valium or vodka. The benefits from a good belly laugh can last up to 24 hours. Dr. William Fry, a laughter researcher found that 30 seconds of hearty laughter equals a three minute physical workout on a rowing machine.

You don't even need a reason to laugh. Even fake laughter is good for you. Thousands of 'Laughter Clubs' have sprung up all over the world practicing fake laughter sessions with the same health benefits as derived from real laughter,

With the downturn of the economy and the increase of personal stresses, it is important to remember that humor and laughter are powerful stress busters. It is impossible to be stressed when laughing. Laughter provides us with an instant vacation from our stress feelings.

Humor and laughter clear our minds, so that we can think more clearly and therefor become more creative in resolving our problems. Humor helps us cope with difficult times and situations. It is a known fact that there was more humor during World War Two than at any other time in history.

Humor and laughter help to reduce conflict and facilitate easier communication. They quickly help to lower barriers and facilitate connection between people, a tremendous asset for people caught up in the negative effects of the economic downturn.

Humor and laughter are available at no cost and are accessible to each and everyone of us, unfortunately they have become the most underrated and undervalued tools in our society.

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Are humor and laughter Coping Strategies during Difficult Times?

Posted Monday, January 12, 2009 (315 days 13 hours ago.) Viewed 28 times.

It would appear so. During World War Two, the soldiers, when off duty, would laugh and have fun whenever and wherever possible, so that they could put the negative and unpleasant memories of war out of their minds.

Why? Because it is a known fact that you can't be stressed, depressed, or experience anxiety when you are having fun. They needed this diversion to forget, if even just for a limited time, so that they could carry on the extremely difficult tasks and responsibilities they were charged with.

It was the same on the home front. There was more humor, more songs, song and dance routines, stage plays and movies created during this time than any other time in history. There were all kinds of fun and uplifting events to cheer up and keep people positively charged and motivated.

And it worked on the battle front, as well as at home. It was this positive attitude and motivation, along with winning strategies on the war front that ultimately combined to bring victory.

The resiliency of people is truly remarkable. And when times are tough, as is the case today, people can and must cope with an optimistic attitude and view of the future. Nothing is forever, and sunshine always follows rain.

To remain positive and optimistic is more easily accomplished with humor and laughter, which referring back to World War Two showed that people remained positive, motivated and relied on humor and laughter to keep them on track.

Without any doubt, humor and laughter help people to see the brighter side and help us to be more creative and effective in our problem-solving. Nothing is accomplished by adopting and maintaining a pessimistic perspective, as this only translates into negative thinking, negative attitude and ineffective action, or worse - no action at all.

Life is short, live it to the fullest, love with all your heart, and laugh at every opportunity!

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Some Startling Facts About Personal Happiness

Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 (1 year 85 days ago.) Viewed 217 times.

We all have a lot more happiness in our lives than we realize, such as the health we enjoy, family, friends, access to education and learning, and our basic freedoms. We take a lot for granted, but if we think for a moment, there are a lot of things that cause us happiness.

Well-balanced people know that they can't expect to be happy all the time, but they enjoy the happy times when they occur.

There are valuable payoffs in being happy. Research has shown that happy people live longer with quality of life, enjoy good relationships with their life partner, they tend to be more affluent and enjoy the respect and appreciation of others.

Money can't buy happiness, but it would appear that giving it away can. Research done by a team of of researchers from Harvard University Business School and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, did a a number of studies on the level of happiness reported by people and how they spent their money.

One of the experiments was giving University of British Columbia students five or twenty dollars. Half of them were instructed to spend the money on themselves, while the other half were instructed to spend it on others.

What they found was that the students who had spent the money on others were significantly happier at the end of the day than those who spent the money on themselves.

When they consulted psychological literature on the subject, it suggested that doing good for others is associated with one's own happiness, therefor doing volunteer work and random acts of kindness can all promote happiness.

Another benefit is that happiness facilitates personal wellness, it will protect your body from stressors that can lead to serious body and heart illnesses.

Gerry Hopman is a Humorist, Motivational Speaker and Author. He believes that humor and laughter are essential to finding and maintaining balance in life and career.

To find out more about Gerry and the extraordinary powers of humor and laughter, visit his website at: http://www.humor-laughter.com

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