How to Discover Happiness through Laughter

Laughter is the best cure...Laugh and the world laughs with you (or is it smile ?)

We encounter these and several adages through the day: in a book, in a movie, on the road.

Is laughter tied with happiness? Yes and no. Happiness is a state of mind. You can be serious and still feel the happiness inside you. Laughter is an indication that something amused you. It is short lived. If happiness is the goal, laughter can be one of the effective way develop happiness.

Medically laughter is very beneficial to our mind and body. Below are some online articles, click for more details

Cut Stress by Anticipating Laughter?
Laughter is good medicine for reducing stress, enhancing brain ...

Now establishing that there is some benefit of laughing, we need to find how we can laugh away through out the day:without joining laughing clubs, or without sounding goofy.

Guidelines to Laugh

1. Watch funny sitcoms on TV: Sitcoms need not be the new ones, they can be 20 years old too. You don't have to share which ones you watch. Just make a habit of watching the ones that makes you laugh or chuckle throughout. Preferably avoid watching with someone who does not share the humor. Limit it to one 30 minute episode. Try to vary them each day. Otherwise you might become a tv addict.
2. Find people who makes you chuckle:Try to have 5 minute chat with people who jokes. (More than that the joke may turn on you). If in a shop try to find the most cheerful salesperson, and pass a joking comment, they might come back with a witty statement. The goal is to smile as much as you can, without appearing weird.
3. Limit Negative Environment: Since we live in a social environment, we cannot always avoid things or people that affect us negatively. So limit it. If you have to deal with in-laws you make you feel bad, limit the time you have to listen to them. Or keep talking about something which makes both of you smile. Try to be pleasant but not at expense of your happiness.
4. Laughter is contagious: Walk in a mall and look at people who are laughing out loud. It will at least bring a smile to you. When in a group you don't always have to talk. Just listen to the wittiest people in the group, and laugh out loud. Most of the time others will too.
   
5. Cartoons !!!: They are everywhere. In newspapers, tv, internet. For every life style there is a cartoon that might amuse you. If you are in IT it's dilbert. If you have a troublesome kid it's Dilbert. Sometimes looking at people and situations in terms of cartoons will bring a new perspective and bring out the laughs.
6. Games: Bingo, or game of tennis, or anything that gets some part of your body moving will kick start the brain. Each action can be preceded with a laughter. You can play with a frown on your face, but better precede each action with a comment. If not you someone will laugh, and as we said laughter is contagious.

ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFT MANKIND HAS IS LAUGHTER. IT'S FREE, FOUND EVERYWHERE, EASILY SHARED. LAUGH AND MAKE OTHERS LAUGH