On April 14, we celebrate laughter. It seems quite appropriate, as this is usually the day before taxes are due in the United States, which is pretty much the opposite. Izzy Gesell, a professional speaker, trainer, author and humor consultant, created his holiday that “encourages people to forget the stresses of daily life and give into the healing and relaxing power of laughter.” Gesell calls himself a humorologist, and explains why this is different from a comedian. “I’m interested in the science and structure of humor, as well as its delivery. I’m like the magician who takes you backstage and shows you how the tricks work.” I checked some videos by Gesell on YouTube, and he made me laugh. Find them here.
A website called Punchbowl, says, “In addition to spreading joy, laughter has many health benefits. Studies have shown that there is indeed some truth to the old saying, ‘laughter is the best medicine.’ Laughter can act as an antidote to pain, stress, and conflict. It also strengthens our immune systems, boosts circulation, and relaxes muscles.”
So celebrate today by watching a silly movie, or telling jokes, or going out for a fun time with friends. We all need to laugh more often. Psychology Today tells us “the average four-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old? Only four.” So today, look for the amusing side of life. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you.
Quotes about laughter
Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.–Mark Twain
The best way of removing negativity is to laugh and be joyous.–David Icke
The Creator made humans able to walk and talk, to see and hear … to do everything. But the Creator wasn’t satisfied. Finally the Creator made humans laugh, and when they laughed and laughed, the Creator said, “Now you are fit to live.”–Traditional Apache Story
Get into the habit of laughing; too many of us have forgotten how to laugh. As people grow older, they sometimes forget that they ever laughed. It is a part of their childhood that they can no longer remember.–Maxwell Maltz
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.–Irish proverb
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.–Laura Ingalls Wilder
He who laughs, lasts.–Mary Pettibone Poole
The head thinks, the hands labor, but it’s the heart that laughs.–Liz Curtis Higgs
Humor and laughter are not necessarily the same thing. Humor permits us to see into life from a fresh and gracious perspective. We learn to take ourselves more lightly in the presence of good humor. Humor gives us the strength to bear what cannot be changed, and the sight to see the human under the pompous.–Joan Chittister
I have always felt that laughter in the face of reality is probably the finest sound there is and will last until the day when the game is called on account of darkness. In this world, a good time to laugh is any time you can.-—Linda Ellerbee
I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.–Bob Hope
If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And, if I can persuade you to laugh at a particular point that I make, by laughing at it, you acknowledge it as true.–John Cleese
If you can laugh at it, you can live with it.–Erma Bombeck
If you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think.–Clarence Darrow
Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It’s the sweetest thing one can do for oneself & one’s fellow human beings.–Maya Angelo
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