We all laugh, giggle, snort, hoot, snicker, chortle, chuckle; But have we ever wondered why??? Why do we laugh, what kind of muscles are involved in laughing…What chemical and hormonal changes occur while laughing??

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Laughing is one of the natural processes that emerge as soon as we are responded to some funny or humorous incident that appeals our hearts. We all laugh when we are happy, jolly and cheerful. There has been given a particular and unique name for the physiological study of laughter which is called Gelotology. Scientists have exposed that within the four- tenths of a second of seeing or considering something hilarious and funny, an electrical wave is moved through the cerebral cortex of the brain. If the negative charge is taken by the wave laughter occurs. Several different areas of our brain are involved in making us laugh.

Just as crying is acceptable in many cultures similarly laughing is also acceptable in every culture, because where an individual lives something might happen that is funny and humorous and make him laugh.

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Different Cultures and the Criteria of Laughing:

In every culture something which is too humorous for those specific individuals may not be that humorous to other cultures. For example just take an example of Pakistan, a pure Asian country. Its famous language is “Punjabi”, the jokes which are often done in this language might be very much humorous to the Punjab culture but at the same time even if these jokes are translated in English and foreigners listen to them, they might think of these jokes as silly and absurd. Therefore, laughing also depends on how every culture deals with it and it varies from culture to culture.

Some jokes in the Western culture may be bizarre to the Asian Cultures, and similarly some jokes in the Arabic culture may be absurd to Asian and Western culture and Vice Versa.

Laughter as the Best Medicine:

            People often say that “Laughter is the best medicine“, which is indeed the biggest truth; because when we laugh our whole body makes facial gestures and sounds. Our bodies relax and calms during laughter. Our different body parts like abdominal, diaphragm, respiratory, leg, facial and back muscles all get a workout.

What do Scientists say?

            According to the different researches, researchers and scientists have found that smiling and laughing for about one hundred times is equivalent to a ten-minute workout on a rowing machine, or is equal to a fifteen minute exercise on a bike. Laughter helps to promote the healing in the body to a great deal and this is done by lowering the blood pressure and thus increasing the flow of blood.

In addition to this also when we laugh and smile the T-cells that are important in destroying the tumors and viruses are produced in large numbers and more Gamma interferon an important disease fighting protein is released.

Benefits of Laughing:

            A large number of benefits have been observed so far of laughing, some of them are:

• Reduces the sum of stress hormones, and in this way help us to cope and handle our lives better.
• Keeping away the negative emotions and replacing them with positive ones.
• Laughter helps in making and intensifying our connections with each other.

Thus laughter and tears both help us to function better in a society. Just like crying alleviates stress, pain, reduces hormone and chemical levels in the body similarly laughter also lessens stress, fuels healing, and helps in bonding and connecting humans together.

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