The nature of laughter is, for most people, a spontaneous
release of energy when you find something amusing. It manifests in many forms
and has many names, such as guffaw, titter, giggle and snicker. Laughter is
stress relieving. It is social. It is something you do more of when you are
rested than when you are stressed and exhausted. It leaves your muscles relaxed
for up to 45 minutes after, reduces stress hormones and boosts the immune
system, according to an article in www.helpguide.org.
As human beings, we are able to see the humor in a situation
due to our developed intellect, which lets us see situations in perspective.
Apes, rats and dogs display behaviors that appear to be
laughter, but will we ever really know if these creatures are actually laughing until we
can speak the same language and ask them? According to a Wikipedia article, rats like to tickled, and have more optimism after they have been
tickled. Dogs seem pant in a way that sounds like human laughter, display a
"play face," and are more pro-social when they hear recordings of dog laughter.
Chimps and other apes create laughter-like vocalizations, interspersed with panting,
in response to tickling, play-chasing or wrestling.
When I laugh, it is often to share a special
moment with someone, bringing us closer. Other times it is out of pure enjoyment
of a funny movie, ridiculous situation or joke I have just heard.
My friend Lisa Bouta, a certified laughter yoga
professional, begins her monthly Metro Women in Business meetings
with a group laughter yoga exercise, setting a positive tone for the entire
meeting. To visit Lisa's Meetup, which meets on the fourth Monday of the month in the south or west Minneapolis metro area, RSVP to:
https://www.meetup.com/Twin-Cities-Women-in-Business-Networking-Group/.
Usually, laughing and a genuine smile happen at the same time. But for someone with a twisted psyche, laughter could be a
cruel celebration of another's pain. There may be a smile, but it's more of a grinning rictus ("sustained spasm of the facial muscles"), and not a genuine smile of happiness. There are many famous examples of movie actors with cruel laughter, including "The Joker" in Batman, or Vincent
Price in Michael Jackson's Thriller video.
I enjoy hearing people's many different types of laughter. My favorite type is a woman's high-pitched
laughter with a dose of musicality.
To sum up my philosophy of laughter in a few words, I hearken
back to a column in the old-fashioned Readers' Digest magazine: "Laughter—the Best Medicine"!
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