What makes us laugh?

For me it is the sudden appearance of an image in my mind, triggered either by what someone says or by momentarily detaching from a situation that I am in which allows me to have another perspective, and thereby see the comical aspect.  If I am together with someone and they pick up the same thing without anything needing to be said, then the flood gates of uncontrollable laughter are opened.

But it is more often something that happens to me, rather than something I can make happen.  I wish I could though!

At the physical level laughter stimulates lymph fluid to move around the body, thereby helping to clear out toxins from organs and tissues and boosting the immune system.

The process of laughing also increases oxygenation on a cellular level because at every "haha" we take in huge amounts of oxygen.

Laughing produces a long list of healthy immune boosting body chemicals (at no cost!) that counteract the negative effects of stress, diminish symptoms of pain and depression, and improve your outlook on life in a major way.

Studies also show that laughing in a group fosters closeness and creates a stronger bond between people.

We have all experienced how good we feel when we laughed so much that it hurts; how our mood then is elevated and relaxation on all levels settles in.

No wonder that laughing is promoted as a source of health and well being.  There is even such a thing as laughing therapy!

But what is it that makes you laugh?  A saying or a quote?  An image? A funny face?  A joke?  Even a silent moment in a monologue? People? Animals? A certain "sense" of things?

Humor can be both silly and profound; deep and ridiculous.  Often, our laughter emanates from our sense of what is humorous.  It is really worthwhile to explore that "special sense"--it has so many facets.  Maybe I'll return to this in the future--what do you think of this? Are you chuckling?

~Claudia