Laughing stock low in Germany

GERMANS may not be renowned for their sense of humour. Now, if a new survey is to be believed, they’re getting more serious.

Modern Germany may be Europe’s leading economy, but its natives laugh less than they did in the darkest days of the Cold War.

Today, one in three Germans laughs less than five times a day, or not at all, according to a survey done for one of the country’s healthinsurance funds.

And when they do allow themselves a chuckle, it is more likely than not to be at the expense of others, with 77% saying they liked to laugh at others’ misfortune.

They did invent schadenfreude, after all.

In the ’50s, when the country was divided and struggling to rebuild after defeat in World War 2, Germans found time to laugh three times as much.

The survey was commissioned by the Schwenninger Krankenkasse fund to mark World Laughter Day today.

“Younger people laugh a little more than older and women more than men, but overall the results show quite clearly the overwhelming majority of Germans can be classed as curmudgeons,” the fund said in a statement.

Laughter can exercise more than 80 muscles, stimulate the release of hormones and relieve stress, said Dr Tanja Katrin Hantke, one of the fund’s experts.

“Laughter has a liberating effect, it stimulates the release of happiness hormones, stabilises the psyche and relieves stress,” she said.

And there is hope even for Germans who find it difficult to crack a smile — forced laughter works just as well, because the body cannot tell the difference, Hantke said. — ©