by Joseph Andrews

Created on: March 23, 2010   Last Updated: March 24, 2010

Remember sitting around the campfire laughing as a kid?  How about great moments chuckling with your relatives at the holidays or telling jokes with your friends? Laughter is a natural drug. The best thing about laughter is that it doesn’t have harmful side effects; it makes you feel fantastic! The greatest thing about laughter is that in those few moments you aren’t concentrating on the stress or anxiety in your life. Instead you feel pure joy. According to helpguide.com, ”Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict.” The most powerful laugh could be categorized as “the natural laugh,” one that is not forced out because you have to just to make your boss feel happy. A natural laugh comes from inside of you.

A rush of endorphins that laughter brings is a strong feeling that can get you out of any deep tiredness that you may feel, when you don’t think the day is going to get much better. You should salute people who can give you a natural laugh. Those are the people who are fun to be around.  They’re the ones who can cheer you up with a good slap on the back.  We are all attracted to those people who always have a big smile on their face, and are always ready to make everyone comfortable. People who have a keen sense of humor and are always happy seem to get through the turbulence of life more easily. They are like a shot in the arm with their big, bright smiles. They clear your head of all the clouds and it opens ups the pathways for you to think clearer and smoother.

Laughing is contagious. When you laugh, you make other people around you laugh. No matter what type of laugh you have, it can brighten the days of everyone around you. Your natural laugh may be a cackle, a chuckle, a big belly laugh, a snort, or a pig laugh. It doesn’t matter. If it is your natural laugh, it will make other people laugh too.  So just remember, if you have a nerve-racking job interview, are depressed about a death in the family, are stressed about all the papers you have to write in an hour, try to get a sense of humor about yourself. If you crack a few jokes with your friends, you might just laugh and feel better about yourself and life.

Learn more about this author, Joseph Andrews.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.