Laughter

How often do you laugh? 

Laughter is such a powerful influence in our lives,

Laughter is contagious and addictive, 

Laughter is an amazing comforter and medicine,

Laughter is sharing your life journey with others,

Laughter is a mixture of emotions,

Laughter is a single common language we all share,

Laughter is celebration, uncertainty and confusion,

Laughter is friendship, families and relationships,

Laughter is love. 

(K. Feldon, 2013)

When was the last time you had a decent laugh? Not just a laugh that lasted only a few seconds, but one where you were so happy and laughing so hard that your sides or ribs or other parts of your body began to hurt? 

I heard an interesting fact a couple of days ago about laughter and hence this is the reason for this blog post...

"Children laugh about 400 times a day. Adults laugh an average of 15 times a day."

Upon hearing this fact, I found it hard to believe the large difference between the amount of times an adult will laugh (daily) and the amount of times a child will laugh (daily). 

I thought to myself that surely adults laughed more than this and at the same time I thought that surely children do not laugh as many times as was suggested to us. 

Why do children laugh so much each day? Is this because they do not worry as much, do they see joy and laughter more simply than adults? Do they appreciate what they have in their life? Do they live for the moment rather than thinking about what is to come? 

After hearing this fact, we were then shown a video from YouTube - a Skype Laughter Chain. Basically this video was a chain letter that showed people laughing. It was hilarious and I shall try to attach it to this blog for you all to see - otherwise just search on YouTube.

At first glimpse, there were only a few of us in the audience laughing however as the video continued, I could really see the power and influence of laughter unfolding right before my eyes - it truly is contagious. 

At the end of the message that was shared on this particular day, we as the audience were encouraged to be more childlike in our approach to life. We were encouraged to look for more joy in our lives, appreciate what we have, live for the moment and make the most of the opportunities we have - to recognise and value what is given to us. 

Being more childlike does not necessarily mean to act like little children more often (although this I already do quite a lot of the time) however it means to almost view the world and life as we know it through new eyes/lenses and from a different perspective. 

Over the last few days I have personally tried to laugh more, be less grumpy, enjoy life more and view the world from a different perspective. I have also (as sad as it may sound), attempted to keep a tally of my daily laughing and I must say that I have far exceeded the 15-17 episodes of laughter a day as I have lost count of how many times I have laughed. 

Imagine how different our individual lives, our suburbs, our towns, our cities, our provinces/regions, our islands, our countries and our world could possibly be if we all tried to laugh a little more each and every day. 

So try it - be more childlike in your approach to life and see the difference unfold before your eyes. 

Start by watching the Skype Laughter Video below :)