Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep, and weep alone

“Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.” — Ella Wheeler Wilcox

If you, like me, find the recent news so disheartening, you purposefully look for reasons to laugh. Well, you will be encouraged to learn that laughter is actually good for your health.

My personal trick to ending the day feeling good is to listen to the pre-recorded opening monologue of Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show.” It invariably sends me off to sleep, smiling into my pillow.

At a recent business luncheon, I was introduced to Laughter Yoga presented by Leslie Cotton and Elaine Hobart, certified instructors in a program that combines laughter, breathing and a child-like playfulness that encourages sustained healthy laughter. You don’t even need anything specific to laugh about; in fact, as people get older they often laugh less out of a fear of feeling silly while children laugh readily and often, sometimes over nothing at all.

Leslie and Elaine soon had our group going “ha ha” and “very good” and laughing at our own silliness. It is a quick and efficient way to reduce stress and foster a positive attitude and encourages a strong social bonding among employees. For those of us who are aging (and who isn’t?) it can help alleviate ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma by strengthening the immune system, increasing oxygen to the brain and providing more energy.

Many of my readers will recall the true story of journalist Norman Cousins, who was given only a few months to live in 1964 after being diagnosed with a rare disease of the connective tissues. Told to “get his affairs in order,” he did three unheard-of things — he fired his doctor, left the hospital and checked into a hotel.

He hired a doctor who would work with him and got massive injections of vitamin C. Lastly, and most importantly, he obtained a movie projector and a pile of funny movies which he watched constantly. He finally died in 1990, living years longer than doctors had predicted.

While it can’t be proven that laughter added 26 years to Cousins’ life, we do know that it strengthens the immune system that fights disease and decreases stress hormones that constrict blood vessels. Since it is aerobic, it increases the body’s ability to use oxygen.

Laughter, even if it doesn’t cure you, offers a powerful distraction from pain. Mark Twain once said, “The human race has one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Additionally, it is free and has no known negative side effects. Of course, the younger generation which converses in abbreviations on the internet, has a whole new alphabet and emoji for laughter.

There is “ha ha” as well as “hee hee,” the lengthened “haaaaaaa” or the rather old-fashioned “har har har.” Until recently, when my daughter informed me otherwise, I thought when she emailed me “LOL” (laugh out loud), it meant “lots of love.”

If all else fails, as seniors, we can resort to the good advice of Art Linkletter, who said, “Keep a sense of humor. It doesn’t mean you have to tell jokes. If you can’t think of anything else, when you are my age, take off your clothes and walk in front of a mirror. I guarantee you’ll get a laugh.”

For more information about Laughter Yoga, visit 2ladieslaughing.com.