Simply Laugh... :) Part 2

Continued from Simply Laugh... :)

"A laugh is a smile that bursts." - Mary H. Waldrip

Have you ever tried to suppress laughter?

And then one person lets out a little squeak?

You can't hold it in any longer, you burst out laughing aloud along with everybody in the room.

Genuine Laughter ; Courtesy of all pictures in this post : Internet

I think just about everyone has caught themselves laughing if others started laughing. Just as with smiling, it takes an effort not to do so, even if we don't get the joke. The D-smiles of those laughing are contagious to us and our own smile muscles start to twitch. Before long, we burst into laughter ourselves.

Yesterday I've read a book, "The Contagious Power of Thinking - How your thoughts can influence the World" - written by David R. Hamilton.

The author writes, "When I was at school, my English teacher once scolded one of my friends for laughing at the back of the class. His response was priceless: 'I wasn't laughing, I was just smiling loudly.' "

There's a lot of similarity between smiling and laughter. A recent study by researchers at University College London and Imperial College London showed that laughter impacts the areas of the brain that are activated when we smile, which, when you think about it, makes sense. We smile when we laugh. But the key is that it's an automatic thing. It happens regardless of whether we're on a joke we hear or even know what's funny.

When you listen to a sound, mirror neurons get activated and your brain prepares your face to take on the appropriate facial expression and mimic the appropriate sounds. A study reveals that the activation was twice as high for laughter and cheers compared to unpleasant sounds like screaming or retching. Hence the reason, laughter and cheering might be more contagious than negative sounds.

And laughing is good for our health. It can be a bit like internal jogging, as it exercises the abdominal muscles. It's also good for the immune system. And, of course, it makes us feel happy.

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." - Victor Hugo

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctors book" - An Irish proverb

Keep smiling and laughing and enjoy your day.

Cheers!!! :)