Believe it or not?

Why laughing is so important?

Die becoz of laughing???? 

Are there any special figures about laughter? 







10 Tips for Increasing Laughter

1. Find a friend. Laughter is a social signal that almost disappears in solitary individuals. For hospital patients, invalids and nursing home residents, I guess the TV set is better than nothing?

2. The more the merrier. Other things being equal, whether at a party or the cinema, a large crowd laughs more than a small one. The social multiplier effect brightens even the mood of customers in malls. With friends around, it's easier to make impulse purchases. ( To the delight of merchants...)

3. Increase interpersonal contact. Increasing face-to-face, eye-to-eye contact between group members maximizes laughter. Bigger groups don't necessarily increase laughter if the members are isolated from each other.

4. Create a casual atmosphere. Stress, urgency and anxiety kill laughter. Nowadays, Malls and shops remove clocks and other cues of urgency (try to find a clock in a shop...). New-style bookstores offer bars with live music as a site for meeting with other members of the bookish set. How clever.

5. Adopt a laugh-ready attitude. Just be willing and prepared to laugh. Although you probably can't produce convincing voluntary laughter, you can choose to laugh more by lowering your threshold for laughter. 

6. Exploit the contagious laugh effect. If you are among a group of laughing people, you are likely to join in with your own yuks. So if you wanna laugh more, seek out cheerful, good-natured people.

7. Provide humorous materials. Of course, humorous materials in the forms of jokes, cartoons, books, videos, films, photographs are potent and reliable stimuli for laughter, a point so obvious that it hardly earns the term "tip"...

8. Remove social inhibitions. A person may increase laughter by either leaving an inhibiting setting or by personally becoming less inhibited. Gossipy chats with friends are likely to be more laugh-filled if you can find a private space away from the prying eyes of the others, right?

9. Stage social events. Social happenings bring people together, maximizing many of the already-mentioned factors driving laughter. Whether a gathering of friends, the company picnic, or annual festivals, many folks enjoy an excuse to cheer and laugh. The city of New Orleans successfully specializes in the human tendency to celebrate almost everything.

10. Tickle. Last on the list is the most potent, ancient and controversial laugh-stimulus. A warning : tickle is the most intimate and difficult to ignore of all laugh-stimuli. However, it is a part of physical play that brings satisfying consequences and laughter to both ticker and ticklee. Just don't do it to strangers...











Healing Power of Humour/Laughter
"What soap is to the body humour is to the soul" --- Jewish Proverbs

Humour is greatly related with laughter. There's a nickname about humour --- the invisible weapon. Why is it so? Psychologist Steve Wilson thinks that it is because our sense of humour is like gravity : a powerful force that can not be observed directly by the five senses but whose effects are consistent and undeniable. You can't see, taste, touch, smell or hear the sense of humour, but surely you can feel its effects. 

Believe it or not, it works! You don't have to believe in gravity. Just step off a roof and it will go to work. Likewise, you don't have to believe in the power of humour and laughter. Just start laughing and every system in your body acts as if a master switch had been turned on in the direction of health. 

The following changes have been demonstrated in research and observed clinically to occur as a result of laughter, smiling, and in the presence of a wide range of positive emotions, such as determination, joy, love, creativity, pleasure and humour :

* Increased heart rate and blood pressure and oxygenation of the blood (similar to an aerobic workout...), followed by decreased blood pressure to a very healthy level. 
* Increased endorphin levels (the body's natural pain-killer, also a natural euphoriant with none of the side effects of drugs).
* Increased levels of immune components in the blood, including immunoglobulin-A, a virus-fighting component. 
* Enlargement of the thymus gland and its secretions.
* Pleasant memories are triggered. (Long, long time ago...)
* Facial, thoracic, abdominal and extremely musculature gets a workout.
* Muscular tension is released. (Get thinner/fatter?)
* Emotional tension is released. 
* Internal organs are massaged increasing blood circulation to them.

Additional benefits of laughter and other positive feelings are often cited, such as : 
* A better doctor-patient relationship. (Good for doctors!)
* A sense of well-being.
* Pleasant, cooperative response from others.
* Increased creativity. (Good for kids!)
* Increased problem-solving ability (Ha, good for detectives!)
* Reduced worry due to better perspective.

There are many explanations of how this works. "Even if laughter produces no biochemical changes," according to Norman Cousins, "it accomplishes one very essential purpose. It tends to block deep feelings of apprehension and panic that all too frequently accompany serious illness. It helps free the body of the constricting effects in the negative emotions that in turn may impair the healing system."

Deepak Chorpra, M.D., explains the way you are blessed with an "inner intelligence" that directs your body to maintain and restore health. He says, "All the interpretations you make in life structures the biological responses down to your cellular level. When you think ' I am happy! ', every cell learns happiness and joins in." Cousins put it this way, "Belief makes biology."

Groucho Marx observed, "A clown is like aspirin, only it works twice as fast." The healing power of jesters, mimes, and other entertainers are documented in all the recorded history of people and medicine. We are familiar with clowns in children's hospital and their ability to turn around the depressed and fearful young patients. Several hospitals in U.S.A are tapping the power of humour by installing "Humour Rooms". There are usually books, magazines, props and games for patients to take a "time-out" for humour. 

See how powerful humour and laughter is? From now on, make good use of your invisible weapon!

Are you having fun yet at work? 28 Tips 

Working can no longer be boring if there is something to lighten up. Here, we have collected some tips that we hope others will be inspired to copy or create their own ways to be in fun. Each idea presented here had been tested somewhere in the United States of Canada and is recommended by the person who did it and had found it works!!

1. We sometimes write outrageous memos in the midst of serious ones.
2. Departments perform skits at our Christmas parties.
3. We add funny names to things at work and on agenda items for meetings. 
4. We have secret gift exchanges all through the year for no special reasons.
5. Practical jokes, exaggeration humour.
6. We do gymnastics with music, only take a few minutes.
7. We make a humourous video involving department members.
8. Friday afternoon about 3:30 all work stops and employees gather at the   cafe for a social break. 
9. We have a celebratory meetings for a job well-done, a project completed... 
10. Dressing up to impersonate the managers.
11. Turn on soft music for background, can sooth our nerves. 
12. We hired a caricaturist to draw pictures of us working.
13. Weekend family picnics.
14. Humour/Fun/Joy committees.
15. We held a neon day. Everyone wore something neon and we gave out prizes.
16. Any event that had food catered are always extra fun.
17. It's good to decorate for the holidays/festivals throughout the year.
18. Dressing up at the office for Halloween.
19. We have play elaborate practical jokes : moving someone's car from parking lot and replacing it with a wreck!
20. Bring spouse or plants to work.
21. We held a mini Olympics and office wellness Olympics.
22. We have formed hikers groups among our coworkers.
23. Ask someone to teach you something about his/her job.
24. Celebrate Humour Week, can be done anytime.
25. Hire a shiatsu massage for 15 minutes twice a month. 
26. Tickets to various cultural and athletics events are great prizes 
27. Send anonymous emails to others saying anything you like. 
28. Our department has 80 women. We go to a male strip show per year.









What People Say Before They Laugh

If you want people to laugh, you tell them jokes, right? Well, not according to the survey done by Robert R. Provine of what 1200 people said immediately before they laugh. In fact, people tend to laugh more often after innocuous lines as " Are you sure?" or "I know!".

16 Typical Prelaugh Comments
Typical Statements :
* I'll see you guys later.
* Put those cigarettes away.
* It was nice meeting you too.
* I see your point.
* I should do that, but I am too lazy.
* I try to lead a normal life.
* I told you so!
* Look, it's Peter!
* There you go!

Typical Questions :
* It wasn't you?
* Oh, what's wrong with us?
* Does anyone have a rubber band?
* How are you?
* What can I say?
* Are you telling me this?
* What is that supposed to mean?


16 Funniest Prelaugh Statements
Humorous Statements
^v^ He didn't realize he was sitting in a dog shit until he put his hand down to get up.
^v^ Poor boy looks just like his father.
^v^ He tried to blow his nose but he missed.
^v^ You smell like you have a good work out.
^v^ I never eat anything that moves.
^v^ That's because you are a male!
^v^ She's working on a Ph. D in horizontal folk dancing.
^v^ You don't have to drink, just buy us drinks.
^v^ She's got a sex disorder --- she doesn't like sex.

Humorous Questions
^o^ Was that before or after I took off my clothes?
^o^ Do you date within your species?
^o^ Are you working here or just trying to look busy?
^o^ Why would you go water skiing if you don't know how to swim?
^o^ What did you do to your hair?
^o^ Is that considered clothing or shelter?
^o^ Are you going to wear that ?!













The map of laughter

There are many different kinds of map in the world, but do you know that there is also a map about the distribution of laughter in the world?

Red represents that the people there like to play: Africa, South America.

Yellow represents that the people there always smile: Eastern Asia, including China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

Green represents that people there values their modern lives: North America, Europe, Japan.

Gray represents that the people there don’t see laugh as a very important thing, they think that human can’t always be like children who love to play: India, most Islamic countries and the rest.

Of course, this is a juz a sketch of the reality.

How about the writers of different countries? Which country’s writers are the most humorous?

Germany: In 165 writers, 7.8% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

Britain: In 235 writers, 11.06% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

America: In 78 writers, 28.2% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

Spain: In 145 writers, 11.34% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

France: In 413 writers, 12.6% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

Italy: In 110 writers, 17.7% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

China and Japan: In 58 writers, 13.79% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

Russia: In 123 writers, 12.99% of them had a relaxed and humorous style.

Therefore, the winner is~~~~~~~~ America!!

Funny Quotations

George Bush, US President  
I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions --but I don't always agree with them.

From an Arab News Report  
We are unable to announce the weather. We depend on weather reports from the airport, which is closed, due to weather. Whether we will be able to give you a weather report tomorrow will depend on the weather.

A Batman Costume warning label  
Caution: Cape does not enable user to fly.

With both Mother's Day and Father's Day Celebrations we look to golfer Greg Norman quoted while accepting an award.
I'd like to thank my parents and my mother and father.

A bunch of scientists around the Washington State University campus and was asked for a different version of the question, "Why do we laugh?" Once they stopped laughing, they admitted, "WE DON'T KNOW."

From Jack Nicholson:
My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch.

From a telegram sent to catcher Johnny Bench after Bench broke Berra's home run record for catchers. Congratulations on breaking my record. I always thought the record would stand until it was broken.

From Floyd Smith (a man of few words) former coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs  
I have nothing to say. And I'll only say it once.

From comedian Stephen Wright.  
"You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"

A few words of wisdom from Bill Cosby.  
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.  

From About Women on Campus, a newsletter published by the National
Association for Women in Education  
More than half (55 percent) of women undergraduates are female.

With the beginning of football season comes the same goal for all NFL teams.
This quote is from Former Houston Oiler and Florida State Coach Bill Peterson:  
Men, I want you just thinking of one word all season.  One word and one word only: Super Bowl.

From a sign in a Jacksonville, FL bookstore.  
Rare, Out-of-Print, and Non-Existent Books.

From Yankee catcher Yogi Berra  
This is the earliest I've ever been late.

Ashort-sighted quote from the year 1981 from Bill Gates, head of Microsoft  
640K ought to be enough for anybody.

a somewhat dubious advertising claim from the Oxhey Lane Farm Shop, U.K..  
Prize Winning Handmade Sausages: Once Tasted You'll Never Want Another.

Ha Ha Ha, have a laugh!!!!

Why is it so hard to tickle yourself?

Some scientists believe that laughing caused by tickling is a built-in reflex since even babies do it. If this is true, then you should be able to tickle yourself...but you can't, can you? Even if you try to tickle yourself in exactly the same way that another person tickles you, you don't laugh.

Why is this? Because one part of the brain tells another: "It's just you. Don't get excited," say researchers who watched the brains of people trying to tickle themselves.

The killjoy is the cerebellum, found in the lower back of the brain, the researchers suggest.

The brain is already known to predict what a person will feel when his or her body does something. That way, it can ignore expected sensations like pressure on the soles of the feet while walking, and save its attention for more important things, like the feeling of a foot bumping a stone.

Believe it or not?
The first laughter in the world happened 3000 years ago. It was the laughter of the gods of Olympus. Their laughter came from (according to Darwin's theory) the parties that they held. 

However, in the old ancient culture, it was believed that the master of Olympus, Zeus had a fight with his wife, Hera. Their son tried to protect his mother, Hera, and therefore Zeus was so furious that he threw his son away and his son became handicapped. 

After a few days, Zeus had a fight with Hera again. Their son wanted to comfort her, so he gave a cup of wine to her. However, he had to serve other gods, so he had to go around to do his job. Don't forget, he was handicapped, he couldn't walk smoothly and so the gods laughed at him. Therefore, ironically, the first laughter in the world happened because of a handicapped person. In spite of how many years had passed, people still laugh at people who had physical/mental problems. Oh boy~~








Why laughing is so important?
M' Dougall had said, laughing stimulus breathing and circulation, and more blood is transported to the brain.

Laughing has always been important, neurologists believe it has 'valeur de survie' for infants and young children, and perhaps for adults too. 

Modern science is now providing us with substantiation of this phenomenon, so more people are seeking opportunities to laugh in order to prevent illness, stay healthy, be happier and feel more at peace. 







Die becoz of laughing???? 
Have you ever thought that you may die juz becoz of laughing too hard?

Pliny had talked about diaphragm in his book, "The Natural History".

People think that the diaphragm has a very sensitive understanding, and this is why although the diaphragm linked to the muscle, it is still very sensitive. Also, it is also the main organ that produces happiness. When our armpits got tickled, our diaphragms would contract. But our skin is not that sensitive. In many fighting games, people noticed that when the diaphragm is broken, that person will laugh continuosly and then die. Really scary~~

It was recorded that a poet, who finally won in a poem-writing competition, he was so happy that he laughed out really hard, therefore he couldn't breathe and then died.

Also, in of the Olympic Games, a father's 3 sons all had won in various competitions. He was so happy that he laughed out really hard and died suddenly in the public. 








Are there any special figures about laughter? 

Like how long should we laugh in a day?

It has been estimated that an average pre-school child in the USA laughs 400 times per day, but an average adult laughs only 15 times each day. It would seem a good idea to make 15 good laughs each day one's daily minimum. 

So, laugh more!