by Gill Hamper

Created on: January 08, 2008

Do we need humour every day? We most certainly do. Apart from the sheer pleasure of having a good laugh it is very good for our health, both mental and physical.

A huge portion of all illnesses in our modern world is caused by stress. In many cases stress is a killer, think of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stress induced asthma. On the lower end of the scale there are headaches, bad temper, and irritable behaviour.

When a person is under stress, very often those around them also suffer, and they pass it on.
A boss shouts at the man below him, the man goes home and snaps at his wife, she shouts at the children, and so it goes on. The best and simplest solution to stress is a good laugh. When we laugh our blood pressure goes down, tension in the body is eased, and the mind has something funny to contemplate instead of more problems. While the conscious mind is enjoying itself, the subconscious mind is working on the problem unhindered. And laughter is as infectious as stress.

Even in times of trouble if you can find a funny side, even for a few moments, it is a wonderful way to prevent depression, and feelings of being unable to cope sometimes. During air raids in the Second World War, people huddled together in air raid shelters sang songs and told jokes to keep their spirits up. It didn't stop the bombs, it didn't save their lives, but it did make passing the time waiting to see what would happen to them a lot easier to deal with.

Humour is also a good way of bonding with friends or strangers. When someone tells a joke and everyone laughs, it brings you together. How many friends share your sense of humour? Probably most of them, it is something you have in common.

The humour can be in any shape or form, a joke at work, something funny in the street, or comedy on the television. It doesn't matter, all that you need is a sense of humour, and the easier you are amused, the happier your life will be.

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