Laughing matters!

*To your health and your success: Laughing matters!*

It's hard to find much in life to enjoy that doesn't result in guilt,
fat, or jail. But there is at least one activity we can indulge in that
is good for us in spite of the fact it feels good-- laughter. Humor is
increasingly regarded as having real and significant benefits for our
physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Humor becomes an effective handle of control so that every adversity
doesn't end up being treated with equal emotional distress. But the
therapeutic value of humor doesn't end with relieving stress. Over the
past two decades or so, more and more evidence has been piling up that
points to the important role laughter might play in physical as well as
emotional health.

Lee S. Berk, an assistant research professor of pathology and laboratory
medicine in the Schools of Medicine and Public Health at Loma Linda
University in California, is one of a growing number of researchers who
have turned their attention to humor and the health benefits of laughter
and joy. Berk's findings concur with other studies that show direct
health benefits from laughter. After laughter, blood pressure levels
temporarily drop, as do levels of cortisol, a stress hormone associated
with a host of threats to the body's health including heart disease and
cancer. At the same time disease-fighting killer T cell levels increase
as do other substances important to immune function and pain control.

Beyond the measurable physical benefits of laughter to boost immune
function and moderate the stress response, humor also has benefits for
the mind and spirit. We often use humor to deal with problems that seem
overwhelming. It is a natural and healthy tool because humor provides
symbolic control over the otherwise unendurable. That mental grip might
be a first step to overcoming a difficulty by reframing the problem in a
new and humorous way. It is also more effective than any other
experience except tragedy in its potential to cement and strengthen
relationships. People we laugh with are people we care about.

For all the benefits to body, mind, and soul, there is also a dark side.
Humor can be used to nurture, strengthen, cope, and invite others but it
can also be used to ridicule, separate, and exclude. The success of
humor shouldn't be measured by the laughter it elicits, but instead by
the motive that underlies it. The kind of humor we need to practice is
healing and constructive. It invites rather than excludes, it nurtures
rather than victimizes, and it is rooted not in anger but kindness.

*Here are some suggestions for enjoying the benefits of humoring
yourself and others:*

*1. Practice humor. *Start with you. Look in the mirror and smile for no
reason. Keep it up until you either start to feel better or someone
pounds on the bathroom door. Don't stop there. There are lots of times
during each day you're funny. If you don't think so, you aren't paying
attention. It's okay, even healthy to poke fun at yourself for your
mistakes or your bad hair day, but be gentle. Be kind in your use of
humor even when it's just you talking to yourself.

*2. Look for humor.* Tune into the incongruities of life at work and at
home and when you find them, consciously choose amusement over anger.
With practice, the response becomes more natural. Read the comics and
post the ones that really tickle your funny bone (I like Dilbert and
Pearls Before Swine). When humor is part of your environment it is
easier to access when you need a lift. It's also a great way to
accomplish the next item on this list.

*3. Share with others.* Share an experience with others that invites
them to laugh with you. The power of shared laughter is strong and
bonding. Make sure the humor you share doesn't come at someone else's
expense. Ironically, people who laugh at their own mistakes gain the
esteem of others while those who try to project an aura of infallibility
are magnets for ridicule.

*4. Take it home.* Don't forget to find laughter to share with your
family. Funny experiences bond people like few other experiences can.
Dare to use humor. Your teens may roll their eyes, but they'll do that
anyway. Deep down they'll appreciate your attempt at lightness even if
they pronounce it, "Lame."

*5. Take inventory.* After a week of your humor regimen ask yourself how
your conscious use of humor has altered experiences and relationships.

Making humor and laughter a part of your experiences at work and at home
not only lowers stress and improves your mood, it also strengthens your
health, it helps you to connect with others and it feels good without
being illegal or fattening.

Source: 1888articles.com