Resolve to laugh more often

New year is the time of the year when we all make resolutions. While most of you might be setting your eyes and ambitious plans and goals for the year, let me request you to add, “I will laugh more this year”, as one of your New Year resolutions.

Why Laughter? Because laughter is a healthy proposition, that will help you combat stress, in your pursuit of your ambitious goals.

So here are some facts. The average child laughs 300 to 500 times a day while the average adult laughs only about 15 times a day. So, we are laugh deprived indeed.

Laughter is a God given gift, only to human beings. Animals don’t laugh. But man is created as a social animal, who can connect with people, share his joys and laugh out whole heartedly. But what we find today is a serious bunch of people, busy with their day to day chores, who don’t even find the time to laugh. If so, aren’t we denying a wonderful gift of God?

We have often heard, “Laughter is the best medicine”, but we don’t take aid of this free medicine. Probably because, we don’t trust anything that doesn’t have a scientific proof.

I too was quite sceptical about this, until I attended a Laughter Yoga session. The experience of the laugher yoga session was so exhilarating. I could personally experience, how much better I was feeling and how active my mind became at the end of the session. This motivated me to sign up for a 5 day Laughter Yoga Trainer workshop at Bangalore, under the tutorship of the founder of the laughter yoga movement, Dr. Madan Kataria, himself.Laughter Yoga is gaining popularity and wider acceptance across the globe and is now being practiced in more than 100 countries.

I found the benefits of laughter are too huge to ignore. There are umpteen numbers of benefits, but here is the TOP 5:

1.   Laughter enhances energy levels, due to the increased supply of fresh oxygen that is made available while laughing

2.    Laughter makes us feel good, as endorphins are released by our brain, when we laugh

3.      Laughter relives stress and helps in relaxation

4.      Laughter boosts our immunity and prevents many diseases.

5.       It also relieves pain, by producing natural pain killers.

While the benefits are so obvious, why not put it to practice. The best part is, it doesn’t cost you any money and is not a strain on yourself, physically or mentally.

In order to get the scientifically proven health benefits of laughter, we need to laugh continuously for at least for 10 to 15 minutes. The laughter has to be loud and deep, coming from the diaphragm. It should be a belly laugh. This type of laughter is possible, only when you can laugh without any reason. So, the point to remember is not to search for a reason to laugh, rather laugh just for the sake of laughing. Our brain doesn’t distinguish between real laughter and fake laughter and therefore the effects are the same. Therefore, never wait for someone to tell a joke, or do something silly to initiate laughter. Just laugh for no reason and soon you would see that you are becoming more healthy and happy.

Another good thing about laughter is that, it is contagious. So the moment we start laughing everyone around us will start to laugh too. This will create a higher vibration of laughter benefitting everyone involved.

May be you should consider having a sign board at your desk or at your bed head, which says “Did you LAUGH today?”.  This can ensure you have had your daily dose of laughter.

So, this new year, resolve to laugh more often and live a happier life than ever.

   D. Senthil Kannan,

   Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

   Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

   Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com