(This blog is the third of sixteen, all inspired by a word featured in the chorus of Good Charlotte's song "Movin' On". It's one of my favorite songs, and I think it's really meaningful, which is why I was inspired to write this series.)
"The Best Medicine"
Often people will say that laughter is the best medicine. What does that mean? Is it really "the best medicine"? How does laughing actually fix anything? Although I'm majoring in psychology, I haven't really studied laughter, so I have no scientific or research-based explanations or answers for any of these questions. But I do have my own thoughts and theories, based on something I think is at least somewhat representative of science- my own personal experiences.
Laughter is so powerful because it can really improve your mood. By laughing (and I mean genuine, true laughter- not mean snickering or laughing at someone else's expense), you're forced to smile. Finding something funny can make stress seem less powerful, anxiety less overpowering, and pain less unbearable.
I think laughing is important because it is something that is often social. When you laugh with other people, it creates a bond with them. Think of any "inside jokes" that you have with your friends- things that maybe weren't or aren't normally all that funny are suddenly hilarious, because of that moment when the two (or four or six or twenty-five) of you saw it together and found it funny. I think it's an example of shared experiences that can be really powerful. Inside jokes can really draw people together- even if you hadn't known each other all that well previously.
I don't know if laughter can really cure everything, but it can make things a lot better. Being able to laugh at yourself, or at something that happens to you, can make your day brighter. After I tore my right ACL (I had torn my left ACL three years earlier), I was devastated. It was not easy to get through, but being able to laugh at the unlikeliness of my situation made recovering a lot easier.
In the spirit of this post, I'd like to share something that made me laugh recently- credit to Cheezburger Network/ Memebase's http://derp.memebase.com/2011/03/31/hurr-durr-derp-face-herrderr/:
