Laugh it out!

'The simple truth is that happy people generally don't get sick.'
Bernie Siegel M.D.

The link between laughter and health is attracting attention in the medical world. At one stage the suggestion was that 85% of all illnesses can be cured by the body's own healing system. Whether this is still the case or not, maintaining a happy and positive outlook on life is doubtless a very good way to support our well-being, Love, joy, caring, laughing are always going to be a better prescription than hating, moaning and groaning.

Laughter, it is thought, can:

• Build relationships - we warm to people who make us laugh and who laugh with us and laughter bonds us to each other - we laugh 30 times more in company than we ever do alone.
• Reduce as we get older or become more senior at work.
• Reduce stress and strengthen the body's immune system.
• Exercise our heart - it raises our heartbeat and has been called 'internal jogging'. People with heart disease are 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations than people of the same age without heart disease.
• Help us deal with conflicts and crises, relax muscles and reduce tension.
• Indicate self-esteem; a lack of a sense of humour has been linked to low self-esteem.

It is important of course to recognise that there is 'good' humour and 'bad' humour. Healthy humour is where we laugh together, laugh at ourselves or our situations - it brings us together with others. 'Bad' humour is when it is at other people's expense, when it hurts and distances people from us. That type is not likely to be therapeutic!

So, laughter and fun are undoubtedly significant contributors to good health, especially as we age. So where do we find what we need?

Why not:

• Decide each day to look at the funny side of life and look for laughs in everyday situations.
• Spend time with funny friends or with children who can find fun in things much of the time.
• Watch or listen to funny programmes.
• Go to comedy films or shows.
• Look for cartoons and jokes in the daily papers. Remember a joke a day and tell it to others.
• Read humorous books.
• Watch and listen to comedians, go to comedy clubs.
• Don't spend too much time, if any, with grouches or pessimists.
• Avoid news bulletins that focus on life tragedies and disasters that we can do little about.
• Do a fun review at intervals - ask yourself am I getting enough?

On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is 'a little' and 10 is 'loads') how much fun and laughter is built into your life and work at present?

Whatever your score is, it could probably be higher. So what are you going to do about it?

Do make me laugh

Use the table below to list ten things that will help bring more laughter into your life. We've included a couple of examples to get you started.

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