Please note! This essay has been submitted by a student.
What could you go a whole day without doing?
For me, the answer is pretty simple. No, I’m not talking about my phone, food, sleeping or all those necessary things. Im talking about something that elevates you up whether you’re feeling like it or not. What im talking about is a treasure, there is nothing that is more valuable than it. What could I possibly be talking about?, Money?, Education? If I were reading this paper I would be dying to find out too. But I think you can already guess by the title. Laughter is my answer to this distinguished question.
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” There is no better way to put it. Going a whole day without laughing is like going a whole day without drinking water, staring at your crush or even breathing.
There is something about laughter that gives it so much privilege over other things. The beauty inside is indescribable. Laughter gives you the ability to love and accept everyone around you. When you laugh you forget about everything else. You forget about all your stress and pain in that moment and you feel yourself relaxing and wanting to laugh even more. Laughing is the best medicine mentally and physically though you might need medicine if you’re laughing for no reason.
You might find me laughing at anything, any day and anytime. No I don’t need medicine it’s just it takes time for me to get the jokes most of my friends attempt to crack. Thirty to forty minutes later they stare at me like im crazy but the truth is the joke is still funny. One joke might last up to two to three days and still be fresh.
I live with my mom and two younger sisters so as you can tell im the oldest child. My parents divorced my first year of highschool due to my dad being deported back to his home country. My dad is already remarried and I couldn’t be happier for him. He is my best friend and my everything. I love my mom too because she’s hardworking and very percipient. She is french and I love when she speaks it it’s so beautiful. I don’t get along with my two sisters much but we’re not enemies. One time I was talking to my sister and she told me for her college admissions essay she wants to write about gender and sexuality. So I said okay and she said “but I dont want them to think im homophobic” I laughed at those words for a week. Everytime i’m not doing anything I recall the event then start bursting. I felt great that whole week thanks to this strong and marvelous emotion.
I love playing basketball anytime of day but im at my happiest when reading a really nice book about romance. I just love love and the process of it all happening. Volunteering is something I really put time into. I love helping people for whatever they may need. I don’t know exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. I love helping people and I know whatever I decide on will involve me being there for people. I love learning and wish to continue learning new things whether in school or not. Keep laughing, you’re bound for something big when you do.
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Published on December 13, 2013
Health, Lifestyle
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A day without laughter is a day wasted. – Charlie Chaplin
Smiling and laughing can have a positive effect on your well-being, but as you make the transition from child to adult, you often tend to lose the habit of indulging in these behaviors. A good example of this is a children’s playground: You often see the kids running around, constantly laughing and smiling as they enjoy living in the moment, while the parents sit around the edge, full of the stresses that modern life can bring, with the occasional grin breaking their otherwise serious facial expressions. Adults can benefit from taking a lead from children and making more room in life for smiling and laughter.
7 Benefits of Smiling and Laughing that You Didn’t Know about
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“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” There is no better way to put it. Going a whole day without laughing is like going a whole day without drinking water, staring at your crush or even breathing.
The anger and the sorrows that an individual can obtain from sickness can be upsetting and affects their wellbeing and during these times, most attention is drawn to the body’s functional abilities leading to the carelessness of the spirit and mind. These two components also need attention and the only way to allow the body, spirit, and mind to receive it is through humour so that the patient can survive to live healthily.
According to the American Association for Therapeutic Humour, it understands therapeutic humour is an ability to engage with others to improve their wellbeing while cherishing the unpleasant life situations and accepting them therefore laughter is concerned a fulfilment since it allows the patient and nurses to have an interaction with each other making the healing process more effective it allows the patient to ask questions on their condition and for them to be well equipped to handle the difficult news.
Laughter plays a vital role in easing stress hormones, allowing the patient to deal with tension from their illness and its benefits in this way since the risk of depression is lowered. Humour energizes social support groups where individuals can share jokes dependent on their circumstance, jokes on films, animation, and book of scriptures. This lifts the spirit of individuals and restores hope. Engaging with people in times of difficulty with humour can build confidence and get rid of the loneliness feelings.
McPhee, P. (1998) states that humour builds a heart pulses that allows muscles of people to be more productive and relaxed, upgrading metabolic and immune reaction. The occurrence of a howl leads to a hack which clears the lungs and airways and their cardiovascular produces an exercises and their body’s perform anaerobic exercises.
Besides the direct benefits of amusement, it can come from an indirect source such as the nurse or doctor. It allows a patient-nurse relationship which can help develop a problem-solving technique; increasing the nurse’s creative thinking helps since it provides a better understanding for the patient and increases their attention span. In this way, the patient feels comfortable to ask questions based on their illness without any feelings of anxiety and fear, the entertainment received can be the barrier of feeling pain and increase the sleeping hours.
Laughter is a delight and the breaker of all our negative energy. There is something about laughter that gives it so much privilege over other things. The beauty inside is indescribable. Laughter gives you the ability to love and accept everyone around you. When you laugh you forget about everything else. You forget about all your stress and pain in that moment and you feel yourself relaxing and wanting to laugh even more. Laughing is the best medicine mentally and physically though you might need medicine if you’re laughing for no reason.
Laughter is typically a physical response in humans, it is a response to specific outside or inside incentives. After reading chapters one and two, it took me some time think about what makes me laugh. Honestly, laughing makes me the person I am today, I am a funny individual. When I was younger, I used to find a lot of things funny, which was bad because I found things funny at serious moments which was sometimes not a good thing. Most things that make me laugh are generally not ok such as someone falling, tripping, etc. if they do not hurt themselves because pain is not funny. Laughter is a positive feeling, that can be developed over time. Laughter is the key to happiness. I am usually happy for the most part but, when I am sad, I only need a joke to cheer me back up. A sense of humor is an important thing in a relationship. Creating humor with people can be joyful. So why is it important to laugh?
As I started to read “Laughter Therapy” the first chapter was very accurate because growing up in this culture kids were taught to face their problems and to be brave. With this kind of mentality this only forces a person to not have a sense of humor and to be serious all the time. Taking life serious and not having a sense of humor is not something one should do. Today there are a lot of individuals who are so serious. I can honestly say that I use to always be a serious individual. Everyone should always try to have a sense of humor. Tomorrow is never promised so people should live more and laugh a lot.
After, reading chapter one and two I realized how laughter can have an impact on people’s lives. Seeing others laugh makes me happy. I enjoy seeing people joyful. Laughing protects the body from stress and illness. It also reduces hormones, and increases health enhancing hormones. Laughing boosts, the immune system and releases tension in the body leaving your muscles relaxed. It is not bad to laugh too much, laughing is good for the body.
In the beginning of chapter two, I laughed when the author talked about laughing in the beginning of every workshop or presentation he gives. What really made me laugh was when he stated that on some occasions, he laughs for two to three minutes. I found that funny because that is long period of time to laugh for. Most people laugh for a couple seconds and that is all. I have not experienced someone laughing for that long, so I found that a little funny.
Myth one is a myth that I do not agree with and I am sure others do not agree with it either. One does not need a reason to laugh, there are times where I just burst out laughing and cannot explain why I am laughing. Or I am not laughing at anything specific I am just laughing. I can honestly say this is something that prevents others from laughing because they believe this myth. Throughout life there may be times where you may find something funny whereas someone else does not find the same thing funny and it is ok. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. There is no agreement on sense of humor, sense of humor is based on personal preference, age, culture, background, etc.
Without any laughing moments what would life be? It is always nice to laugh and joke around with friends and family, it makes me feel good inside. Sometimes I laugh so hard that I start to cry tears of joy. Laughter is the best medicine, it has powerful health benefits. I disagree with myth three because, I can honestly say that there are not many things that make me happy but, there are lots of things that make me laugh. Just because one is laughing does not mean that they are happy. Humor is a good way to relieve stress. I had to start smiling more and I had to stop living a serious life. When I started to live more and laugh a lot it made my life a whole lot better.
When was the last time you laughed so hard that you peed a little in your pants? No, I really want to know. In a world where people ask, “What’s up?” more than “How are you?” and 1 out of every 7 people is depressed, do you think a “Happily Ever Laughter” is overrated?! Why do you think Charlie Chaplin, who lost his father to alcohol abuse and his mother to insanity, would endorse laughter and happiness when his own life was so unfortunate? It’s because if you really want to laugh, you have to learn to take your pain and play with it!
Does the phrase A day without laughter is a day wasted, mean that the hours that we spend in front of the TV binging on horrific news of killings and other inhumane acts is a complete waste of time? Is it having a toll on our health? If you don’t balance it now, will there be drastic health consequences?
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Read on to find out why I think that answer is yes.
Suggested read: 7 reasons why looking for your soul mate might leave you unhappy
Why am I acting as this pseudo-expert on depression? Well, that’s because I have been depressed and I am in no way embarrassed to admit it. If my article helps one person understand that they are not alone and that it can be dealt with, it will have succeeded. In the beginning, I thought I should write a funny piece that would make the readers laugh, but I eventually decided otherwise. Laughter is serious business! Laughter is actually an answer to our psychological health, keeping a check on feelings of depression. Laughter aids the immune system to activate the cells that help fight viruses. It stops the discharge of stress hormones like cortisol, hence facilitating relaxation. ‘Endorphins’ or the ‘natural painkillers’ are also triggered by a hearty laugh!
Does a ‘laugh’ a day, keep the doctor away? Yes, it does. While some may argue that sadness and depression are different and that laughter cannot cure the latter, I would say that I am talking about the precaution and prevention here rather than the cure. Nipping the ailment in the bud, don’t you think that’s a better approach? ‘Laughter Yoga’ is gaining ground as a sound treatment for preventing depression. Laughter yoga groups from different parts of the world are joining hands to participate in exercises that are a combination of yoga and “forced” laughter. (Look at what your habit of not laughing has brought the world to!) They chant “Ho-Ho-Hah-Hah-Hah!” as they march around. While I do applaud these people for their efforts, I am also concerned that we don’t have a natural reason to be happy about. Why do we have to laugh and clap around without a reason? “Fake it until you can make it.” Okay, let’s make-do and mend ‘til we find our genuine reasons for happiness!
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“The arrival of a good clown into a village does more for its health than 20 asses laden with drugs.” It is no sense of rumor that people who use laughter as a coping mechanism maintain a positive mood. When it comes to the depressed and suicidal elderly population of the world, the ones who recover are the ones who exhibit the humor quotient. When we are worried and stressed out, we encounter a feeling of “mental anarchy.” As we cultivate the habit of laughing, we develop some sense of control that prevents us from the emotion of helplessness. A day without laughter is a day wasted indeed!
Rats laugh when tickled. But we are humans, and can’t go around tickling each other, can we? For us, the decisive trigger is the company of others rather than a joke or a comedy movie: a social laughter is always louder than a solitary one. “Laugh and the whole world laughs with you!” Well, undoubtedly, laughter is infectious.
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Know your comedian. Familiarity plays a fabulous role in inducing glee. Why would we choose Charlie Chaplin quotes when there are million other comedians to look up to? Familiarity, of course. This knowledge is truer when it comes to laughter. People find the same jokes told by a popular comedian funnier than when told by someone unknown. Prejudice is way more human than laughter, it seems!
Fit vs. Wit or both. Laughing increases energy outflow and raises your heart rate up by 20 percent. In words clearly understood by us health freaks: Laughing for 10-15 minutes can burn 10-40 calories! Voilá!
Co(medy)rrelations. Couples who laugh more when debating on a touchy-feely issue feel more intimate and have a greater level of pleasure and gratification towards one another. Laughter is also a recipe for a Golden marriage anniversary, unless you hit the bucket early!
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Guffawesomesome. A ‘sense of humor’ is a pre-requisite in every ‘would-be’ list that a man or a woman conjures up about their potential partner! While men want to be the providers of a joke, women are more than happy to be at the receiving end!
Suggested read: Why your true soul mate will never complete you
Well, I am not trying to turn you into a laughing Buddha, though that wouldn’t hurt! Life may seem like a drama in certain moments, but it can be a fun and exciting comedy in the long run if you let it! Nothing is undying in this terrible world, not even our fears and our worries. Thus, a day without laughter is a day wasted, because laughter is the pick-me-up, the respite that ceases the pain!
Happy laughing!
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Summary
Article Name
A Day Without Laughter Is A Day Wasted
Author
Riya Roy
Description
Charlie Chaplin famously said, ‘A day without laughter is a day wasted.’ But have you ever thought deeply about it?
Riya Roy
“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood.
I’d type a little faster.” This Isaac Asimov line, embraces my love for writing in the finest and most desperate way that it is and should be! I was tormented by the earnestness of the written word not very early in my journey. But once smitten, it has helped me devour life twice over; savoring the moment and indulging in its memories. As a flâneuse, I wander to understand the intricacies of human relationships. Realizing that, they are just different manifestations of the same feeling of love, has been my greatest learning. I seek to share its opulence through the words I type.
I find biographies fascinating. What makes people tick, their interests, and their life story have always been a curiosity of mine. Charlie Chaplin was born to two music hall performers, spending a lot of time around the theater with his parents and older brother. Growing up in poverty was the norm for Chaplin. He spent multiple times in the poorhouse as his parents’ lives spun out of control. Chaplin started acting at a young age, 14, when his brother got him his first gig. He left school and as we say, “The rest is history”. He was an actor, a silent film and talkie star, a story teller, a comedian, a pantomime artist, a director, a producer, a composer, and a spinner of many witty saying. Some of those sayings are those that most feisty women can identify with. Let me know what you think.
- “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” I pride myself in having a great sense of humor so I can really identify with this one. Even bad jokes make me laugh.
- “ You’ll never find a rainbow if you are looking down.” You also might trip and fall, too. Look up and be open to the world and all the things in it. I don’t want to miss anything, do you?
- “We think too much and feel too little.” Overthinking is something that I am doing less of. Now I thinking for only a certain limited period of time and then I act, sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worst. Oh well.
- “We all want to help each other. Human beings are like that.” Sounds like everyone that I know, except some of my more crabby friends and relatives.
- “Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.” Try something new and you might succeed or you might make a fool out of yourself, but at least you tried. That is my motto.
- “Life would be wonderful if people would leave you alone.” I think that he means that the jerks of the world should back off and let people alone who are doing good. Sounds right to me.
- “I am a citizen of the world.” We need to remind our politicians of this. We are all in this together. What we do with the “togetherness” will make the difference.
- “My happiest days are those in which I do good work.” I try to do good works every day but some people are just not open to my help. I just move on and try to help someone else. It is their loss.
- “ I am what I am: an individual, unique and different.” These words are the motto for every feisty lady that I know. Celebrate this every day.
- “ I am on old weed. The more I’m cut down the more I spring up.” I keep springing up and growing taller. No amount of “weed killer” can get me down. How about you?
Charlie Chaplin has some great words for feisty women everywhere. He lived a life that made so many people happy and spoke these words that resonate with all of us: “I care about everything I do.” We can surely relate to those words and so many of us live our lives like Charlie.