Laughter is Medicine

Charles Dickens said, “There is nothing in the world more irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

This statement is true. I find myself laughing with others and I do not even know why I am laughing. Perhaps you have done the same. Did you know that when we laugh, we only make three sounds: they are ho-ho-ho, ha-ha-ha, and hee-hee-hee. We all make these sounds. Stop reading right now and make those three sounds. They make you giggle, don’t they? Just the sounds of laughter bring a giggle to our hearts; however, be certain that they sound a little different in the south than other parts of our nation. 

At the end of the comedy routine where I taught this laughter message for the first time, a precious woman came back to my book table and said,

“Cherie, you forgot one of the sounds of laughter?”

I replied, “I did?”

She chuckled and with a snort, she giggled and said, 

“You forgot the snort!” 

I laughed loudly and have affectionately named it the Southern Snort, even though I have heard it all over the country. A snort is a loud, spontaneous noise that surprises those present and contributes to an engaging atmosphere. The snort certainly deserves its place in the sounds of laughter.  

Proverbs 17:22 teaches us that laughter is medicine to our souls and Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength. Laughter is an expression that stems from joy.

Sometimes you hear people laugh at things that are crude and rude but there is no medical benefit and more importantly there is no Spiritual benefit … only detriment. When we laugh at something that is pure and funny it is proven medically to improve our health, and that makes me giggle at the ways medicine has merely tiptoed up to what God already told us. 

Medically, we know that laughter releases endorphins into our bodies. How many of you knew that? Who knows what endorphins are? My audience laughs at that. Laughter also releases dopamine and serotonin.

Endorphins are the body’s natural pain killers. They reduce pain, relieve stress, and improve mood. Dopamine, also known as our “brain candy,” is our primary reward motivation and pleasure chemical. Serotonin regulates sleep, appetite, and promotes bone health.

Laughter truly is medicine to our soul, and if the joy of the Lord is our strength, then I truly believe laughter is a byproduct of joy. When we remember to laugh daily, we improve our health. I want to encourage you to jumpstart your joy. I am asking you to do three things daily:

1. Plan laughter
2. Prompt laughter 
3. Promise laughter

One way I plan to laugh daily is by watching reruns of the “I Love Lucy Show.”  I assume you just smiled, especially if you’re remembering the episode where she steps into a vat and stomps grapes. Lucy’s gestures all by themselves convey everything; there’s no need for words. Now, I’m guessing you were laughing as you pictured that rerun.

Here’s how I prompted laughter in my own home. When my son turned sixteen, I bought him a well-thought-out birthday card, and I even personalized it for him. The outside of the card showed an image of a couple wearing 1920s bathing suits and the man was holding the woman in the air with one of her heels in each hand. She was doing a split. Upon opening the card, I wrote at the top, “Dear Alex,” and the inscription in the card read, “A rare photo of your parents the night you were conceived.” He laughed all day. In the evening, I put that card on our refrigerator, and all his friends who came to his birthday gathering read it. By the end of the evening, that card was missing. 

Living with rheumatoid arthritis and surviving ovarian cancer for twenty-four years has taught me that life is not always filled with laughter. However, I also believe that God’s Words are always true, and that joy found in the Lord remains accessible to us through the Spirit of God sealed in us. As God’s children, we are called to live as though we truly believe what God says.  Joy becomes a visible expression of that truth. 

Today, will you choose joy and laughter? Make the decision to plan, prompt, and promise to laugh every day. 

Your laughter is contagious and that might be the medicine someone else needs today.

Questions:  What’s something that made you laugh recently? Who in your life makes you laugh the most? What brought a smile to your face lately? I’d love to read your comments.

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