“Things deprived suddenly of their supposed meaning make us laugh…. Laughing deeply is living deeply” -Milan Kundera – The Book Of Laughter and Forgetting
They say that laughter is the best medicine. But what if this was more than just an idiomatic expression to cheer people up? What if Laughter literally IS the best medicine?
Meet Dr. Madan Kataria, a former Cardiologist at Jaslok hospital in Bombay and the current founder of Laughter Yoga International. Dr. Kataria’s idea is very simple, bring people together and get them laughing. It came to him like a flash 15 years ago when he was researching the effects of laughter on blood pressure and the internal organs. And he came across this quote from American journalist Norman Cousins, who laughed his way out of an incurable spinal disease:
“What is significant about the laughter…is not just the fact that it provides internal exercise for a person…a form of jogging for the innards, but that it creates a mood in which the other positive emotions can be put to work, too.”
These words struck Madan Kataria, who described himself as a very serious medical man with almost no sense of humor, like a lightening bolt from the heavens. The very next day he found himself in his neighborhood park, with a smattering of locals, trying out the idea of spontaneous, therapeutic group laughter. Of course, people thought he was crazy at first.
I mean, imagine walking through the park, or down the beach, and seeing a loud group of people, standing in a circle, laughing their asses off for no apparent reason. You would think that you’d stumbled upon One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. That these gigglers had escaped the mental ward. But get this… since that first impromptu Laughter Club in 1995, hundreds of Clubs have sprung up all over the world. It’s become an international movement practiced in schools, prisons, elderly homes, public parks… you name it.
And the best part, you don’t need to be funny to participate. In fact, you need not even tell a joke. Fake laughter has the exact same benefits as real laughter. That said, all laughter clubs start with forced laughter exercises… which almost always spiral into full-blown, open throated spontaneous laughter.
In his own words, here’s what Dr. Kataria has to say about the tremendous benefits of laughter:
Laughter is a universal language that has the potential to unite the entire humanity. Laughter Clubs are non-political, non-religious, non-racial and non-competitive. If we consider the entire world as an extended family and develop the network of laughter clubs, it will build up the global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship.
The reason why we are not laughing enough today is because we have not understood the real meaning of laughter. Laughter is not only amusement, entertainment or fun. It is an expression of inner happiness which can come only when we understand the deeper meaning of life.
The real meaning and purpose of life is that every human being has a unique talent to contribute and GIVE to this world, and not focus more on what we can TAKE or achieve. Another reason why we are not laughing more is that we have learned to laugh only when there is success and achievement. We have not learned to laugh and celebrate our mistakes, failures and difficulties from which we can learn a lot.
Laughter is a positive energy that brings good health, happiness and well-being, while the inner spirit of laughter will help us understand the deeper meaning of life. By understanding the ways and means of sensible living through laughter clubs we can bring peace within us and inner peace will bring peace in the outer world.
Don’t believe all that holistic hippie hype? Let me sway you with some hard scientific data.
When we laugh, we intake large amounts of oxygen, comparable to the levels of intake of any rigorous aerobic exercise like running or swimming. This is not only beneficial to respiratory systems, the increased oxygen in our blood also increases circulation, while releasing heightened levels of endorphins and seratonin… that help decrease stress and limit blood pressure. Also, laughing works the internal muscles, which strengthen the liver, the abs, and the intestines. Plus, as any kid can tell you, when we laugh we feel happy. Simple as that.
Get together with friends. Laugh at yourself in the mirror, alone, when no one is looking. Laugh when your frightened, or nervous, or sad. Laugh because life is serious and depressing… or alternatively as light and irreverent as we make it. Laugh because there is no good reason why not to.
And if you still aren’t inspired to laugh more, check out this delightful video of Genius Comedian John Cleese (of Monty Python fame) diving into one of India’s Laughing Clubs. I encourage you to laugh. I dare you not to smile.
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