by Maria Yanicki

Created on: May 12, 2009   Last Updated: May 13, 2009

Why is humour so important in every aspect of someone's life? I asked myself this question very recently, and I have noticed that I am closer to men and women that can make me laugh, rather than folks who lack the ability to. My boyfriend (I'll call him A) makes me laugh so much whenever we're together. It doesn't matter what we talk about, or if I'm in a bad mood. He always has this certain charm to himself, and I find myself laughing to the things he says that are, obviously, meant as jokes. He always cheers me up if I'm feeling down.

If someone lives without humour, I think, they will live in misery. Laughing and smiling tells someone you are happy, and if you are happy, chances are that they will be happy too. If you aren't happy, they might try and console you, or try and make you laugh to cheer you up. But if you aren't able to laugh, you aren't going to be able to cheer up unless you find something else that makes you happy, which is something like a hobby, but that's another story altogether.

The point is, if you live without laughter you live without happiness. I say this because I have had personal experience. I went a week or two without laughing, sometimes even smiling, and I began to gradually feel myself slipping into the blues. When I started laughing again, I felt happy. It's because your brain processes smile and laugh as happy. If you go too long without it, your brain will begin to think that you're not smiling for a reason, that you must be upset. Your brain is tricked this way, and in response to such a thing, it adapts and makes you sad because you have gone too long without laughter. Perhaps, if you smile (even if you are sad), eventually, your brain will think you are happy, and adapt to match your smile. (Thank you so much S for this nice piece of advice. It really works.)

Laughter has always helped people bond. It is more contagious than a yawn, or a sneeze or cough or anything else. As soon as someone starts laughing, I've noticed that other people begin to laugh as well. It creates this invisible bond string, and helps people communicate better. Whenever I go to my sister's home, if I start laughing for no apparent reason (if you're curious about the reason, it's because it's too quiet and I get nervous, but sometimes it's because I'm still laughing at something funny I saw), my sister will start laughing too or smile. Even a smile is great.

It also has health benefits. Laughter can relax your muscles, decreases blood pressure,

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