Jackson Free Press

My friend Rafael and I were sitting in the Millsaps Bowl enjoying the pleasantly breezy weather that had recently arrived in Jackson. We were relaxing on the benches, shooting the bull. Then he started telling a joke that involves a certain animal walking into a bar. The bartender, who's quite witty, tells the animal to get out because ... Well, the remainder of the joke is less than appropriate.

Once I figured out the cognitive riddle, though, and understood the punchline, I was simply beside myself. I was bent over at the waist, laughing so hard I worried I would never stop, and my abs started to hurt. I was beaming ear-to-ear with a goofy smile.

Why does laughing like this feel so good?

Everyone loves to laugh. Like many things, though, we completely take it for granted. If you really think about it, laughing is, well, weird. What biological function does laughing serve?

Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University have studied laughter extensively and published numerous articles on the subject. Their studies show that laughter helps the body in many ways, both physically and emotionally.

Laughing strengthens the immune system by increasing the number of T cells, a type of white blood cells that fight infection. Laughing also increases a certain type of antibody that fights respiratory infections. Studies show that humor-induced laughter decreases stress hormones, which tend to constrict blood vessels and weaken the immune system.

As most people know, laughter can also be a bit of a work-out. It's an aerobic exercise. Remember those times you've laughed so hard you gasped for breath? That's your diaphragm being put to the test, and, like most aerobic exercise, it's good for your heart, too.

Of course, people are more familiar with the emotional side of laughing. The ever-controversial psychological pioneer, Sigmund Freud, proposed the Relief Theory, which states that we laugh to release tension and "psychic energy."

Put simply, laughing makes you feel good. It makes you giddy and puts you in a good mood. The world is a better place after a good laughing fit: Your perspective on your surrounding environment shifts, if only temporarily. Laughter can put some psychological distance between you and life's sometimes overwhelming nature. Laughing can also increase your energy and focus, while dissolving negative emotions.

Neurophysiologists have discovered that laughing is associated with a release of endorphins in the brain's prefrontal cortex. Endorphins are your body's natural painkillers. But besides alleviating physical pain when released, they create a sense of emotional well being.

We humans also use laughter as a social tool. When you laugh with someone, you create a positive emotional bond. Laughter can clear the air in an otherwise "heavy" conversation and provide a more light-hearted feeling.

All of us have experienced laughter's contagious nature: You see someone laughing, and despite not knowing what he or she is laughing at, you burst into laughter, too. We are 30 times more likely to laugh in the presence of others than by ourselves writes Dr. Robert Provine, author of "Laughter: A Scientific Investigation" (Viking Penguin Group, 2000, $24.95).

Laughter is not something that's learned, either; in fact, researchers have observed laughter in infants as young as 17 days old.

"Laughter is a mechanism everyone has; laughter is part of universal human vocabulary. There are thousands of languages, hundreds of thousands of dialects, but everyone speaks laughter in pretty much the same way," Provine explained in an interview with WebMD.

Interestingly enough, humans aren't the only animals that laugh; apes do, too. This has led some scientists, Dr. Provine included, to hypothesize that laughter is a primal form of communication that eventually developed into language.

Regardless of the origins of laughter, we know that it has positive physical and emotional effects on our bodies and minds. So keep on laughing, whether you have a meek laugh that sounds like a soft whisper or an obnoxious, bellowing laugh that hurts others' ears.

A Smile A Day...
Did you know that just putting a smile on your face could improve your mood? Numerous recent studies show what Charles Darwin and philosopher William James suggested decades ago: Your facial expression is an essential part of your mood. Instead of pleasure "causing" a smile, a smile comes naturally with pleasure.

Your brain doesn't distinguish between a smile that results from circumstances and a smile you generate yourself. And research suggests that all of the physical and mental benefits that come with "genuine" laughter and smiling are the same even without external stimuli.

So if you're feeling blue, try raising the corners of your mouth. In other words, "fake it, 'til you make it."