A LITTLE LOVE BOOST
A Mouthful of Laughter by Barbara
Johnson:<br
will keep me young?” Is the secret of youth different
for everyone, or is there some universal antiaging
potion?<br
drug of choice. Simple as that. Laughter is the
language of the young at heart and the antidote to what
ails us. No drugstore prescription is required;
laughter is available to anyone at any time. Laughter’s
benefits are felt immediately. With large doses, the
benefits show on our face, in our body language, and in
the spring in our step. So who needs a face-lift or
crazy diets that don’t work!<br
one laugh burns six calories? Laughing is jogging for
your insides. It increases heart rate and circulation,
stimulates the immune system, and improves the muscle tone
of the abdomen. Dr. William Fry of Stanford
University says laughing heartily a hundred times a day has
the same beneficial effects as ten minutes on a
rowing machine.<br
magazine, laughter goes hand in hand with creativity, too.
Researchers found that people with a keen sense of humor have
a more creative outlook to problem solving than do
somber individuals. Tests also showed those who had
listened to a comedy album were able to withstand twenty
percent more pain than those tested who were not exposed
to humor. Other studies show that companies
encouraging employees to bring a sense of humor to work are
more profitable than those emphasizing
business-as-usual. If these facts are true, we should be laughing on
a grand scale in everything we do and using
laughter as a barometer of success.<br
February 23rd, 2003 at 5:45 pm
If you want to get to know someone I say: Don’t
bother analyzing the way she talks or what her ambitions
and ideals may be. Just watch her laugh. If I were an
employer, I’d hire the person who laughs well. If I were a
single woman, I’d marry the man who laughs well. If I
were looking for a special friend, I’d search until I
met a woman who laughs well.<br
capacity to be tickled way deep down inside. Giggles are
as contagious as a viral disease. And y’know what?
You don’t have to be happy to laugh. You become happy
Because you laugh.<br
little I came home from shopping and heard all four of
them in the kitchen shrieking with hilarity. They were
flicking hugh spoonsful of gooey raspberry Jell-O with
bananas against a white wall at the far end of the
kitchen and watching it ooze down to the floor.<br
walked in and asked nonchalantly, “Where’s my
spoon?”<br
me. I loaded it with a glob of goo and fired off. It
hit the wall with a giant splat. Hey, this WAS fun! I
started to laugh, scooped up another load and let it fly.
My boys joined in, and soon the wall was a red
dripping mess. We were laughing hysterically — yes, even
two hours later as they finished scrubbing the wall
and cleaning up the floor.<br
my two oldest boys are laughing in heaven. I think
they must be cooking up all kinds of jokes and games
around the throne of God. And as for the rest of us here
on earth, I think about how the many hours of
laughter we shared with Tim and Steve helped prepare us
for their deaths. Laughter is to life what shock
absorbers are to automobiles. It won’t take the potholes
out of the road, but it sure makes the ride
smoother.<br
coped and learned to move on by cultivating a sense of
humor. Later, seeing everything in a humorous light
became a way of life to dissolve disappointment. It
works every time. One day when I ran into a high school
classmate I realized she had aged so much she didn’t even
recognize me! (See how humor turns everything
around?)<br
for yourself and everyone else you
know.<br
loved to hear the sound of your laughter ringing
through the Galilean hills. I’m sure it was a rich, warm
sound that made other people want to hang around you.
Help me spread your love through chuckles and smiles
to as many people as possible today.
Amen.”<br
lips with shouts of joy!” JOB 8:21