Gelotology… I had never heard of it. It’s the science of laughter and humour. Well… I’m all for it! Doing research on things that makes us happy. Do it! Where do I sign up for a master class??? Why do we laugh? One of the reasons is an unpredictable situation. If we were to watch people walking through a public area all day, we would find that boring. But… if someone would walk through the area carrying a bucket of ping pong balls and that person would trip and fall, we would find that funny (after we made sure the person wasn’t badly injured). The element of surprise makes us laugh.
Laughing is good for our health. It helps us cope with stressful situations. It reduces blood pressure and the level of stress hormones in our body. Conclusion… it’s a good medicine.
So why don’t we laugh all the time? One of the reasons is our upbringing. Somewhere we have been told that there is a time and place for laughing. That its not appropriate to laugh at certain places. Research shows that laughing in business areas has it’s advantages. I have discovered that picking up the phone while there is still a giggle inside me didn’t necessarily offend the caller. Especially if I explained why I had been laughing.
Laughing makes you put things in perspective. I am seriously thinking about starting my own University with departments that teach hugotology (art of hugging), gelotology, the love-yourself-science class. I am seeing it all now… workshops throwing cake, racing chairs competitions for business men… I am smiling from ear to ear, just thinking about it.
Laughing is a great thing. Once it rises all irritation and resentment will fade and a sunny spirit will take over. Mark Twain
