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Topic: Happy (07/12/07)
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TITLE: Happiness is a Gift | Previous Challenge Entry
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07/19/07 -
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Happiness is often expressed through laughter.
I feel blessed that I possess a healthy sense of humour. I believe that the ability to laugh is a blessing, and a gift from God to humanity.
Why, after watching a funny film, or television show, or reading a humorous book or article, or sharing a joke with friends, can our mood often feel lighter, our bodies can become more relaxed, and we feel relieved?
Some of my happiest memories have been from when I have spent time with friends, laughing as we enjoyed one another’s company.
I can remember praying in groups when someone has inadvertently made a joke as part of a prayer request.
Laughter can be found in the Bible, and I’m thankful that the ministers at my church often add jokes to their sermons each week.
I have a humorous cartoon stuck on the wall beside my computer.
I own a collection of comedy DVDs that I watch whenever I feel like having a laugh will do me good.
But does being able to find the funny side of everyday life help us to live longer?
A study by Sven Svebak at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, investigated whether the possession of a sense of humour has any health benefits.
Svebak and his colleagues surveyed about 54,000 Norwegians to see how easily the study participants found humour in everyday situations, and how much they enjoyed being with people who brought out their sense of humour.
According to the study data, after seven years, the participants who scored in the top quarter for humour appreciation were 35 percent more likely to be alive than those in the bottom quarter.
Among those surveyed were a group of participants who had been diagnosed with cancer when the study began. Those who appreciated humour were 75 percent more likely to be alive.
Svebak’s study distinguished between ‘sense of humour’, which he defined as “a particular playful perspective on everyday life,” from ‘laughter’, which he said, “on its own did not correlate with survival”.
Scientifically, it seems that laughter is beneficial to the body.
Other studies have suggested that laughter can boost the body’s immune system and relieve pain.
No research has said anything happiness has said anything about being to do with money or possessions.
I’ve been challenged by stories about people in Third World countries that I’ve heard from members of my church who have visited there on short-term missions trips. They’ve remarked how struck they have been to see that people in the World countries still know how to be happy even when living in extreme poverty, even when they lack the basic things that we take for granted.
It certainly made me think as I saw photos of smiling people dressed in basic clothes, living in slum areas.
Consider too that Jesus was someone who laughed as well as cried.
In his letter to the Phillipians, (Phil 4:11-13) the Apostle Paul wrote about learning to be content in whatever situation he found himself in.
The ability to laugh and, see the funny side of things does benefit us. This is not to suggest that we should ignore all the hurt and sadness in the world. If we are to be there for people when they are sad, is it not just as worthwhile to share their happy times, too?
To laugh, is one of the things that we were created to do.
Albernaz, Ami (2007) He Who Laughs Lives Longest http://www.science-spirit.org/ Science and Spirit Magazine (accessed 9/7/07)
Atkinson, Mike (2007) http://www.mikeysFunnies.com http://www.uneekNet.com Uneek.net
Skatsoon, Judy (2007) Hunting for Happiness http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/happiness/ Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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