A laugh a day keeps stress at bay

My generation grew up on laughter columns and children’s magazines. I remember our childhood, when my brother and I laughed until we were wheezy and then got a whack on the back from our mother, to help us get our breath back. The reason for the wild laughter would be a silly thing — a mispronounced word like “a but of bitter” instead of “a bit of butter”.

Nothing was too serious to laugh about, from our father’s pronunciation of English and Hindi words such as paper, nation, and bewakoof, as he always pronounced the ‘a’ (or in the Hindi word the ‘e’) as in ham, or a quarrel with a school-bus mate, as my brother kept saying “Yes, you’re right!” to all the rather unkind words of the girl until she burst into tears. Everyone laughed. Children can be cruel while at the same time find comfort in laughter as we did when an older girl was being toxic.

Laughter is usually spontaneous, and bubbles up sometimes even when the situation does not call for it. I remember a time when I was in the 10th day ceremony of my grandmother, and almost lost control. The lady sitting in front of me had dyed her hair and in the sweltering heat, the black dye was running all over the back of her beige-coloured blouse in the shape of a monkey. My laughter welled up and my mother shook her head in warning. Later, I read about how during times of grief or sadness, one gets the urge to laugh wildly at any small thing, and that it is a coping mechanism.

There are times when we are thoughtless in our laughter. Once when we schoolgirls were talking of a particularly haughty classmate, she appeared proudly in high heels and took a tumble. We burst into laughter, without even realising that she had been hurt. Luckily, it was a sprain which healed in a couple of weeks.

Then there is the laughter that helps in a sensitive situation. An incident from my working years when computers had just started making their way into offices, comes to mind. A missive we had sent to our corporate office elicited a caustic reply because a couple of figures had been wrongly quoted, apparently due to a cut-and-paste error by a colleague. We waited with bated breath for the tirade from the bosses, when one of them started laughing. Everyone joined in, and the situation was defused. Needless to add, we were all doubly careful after that in checking the notes we placed to the bosses and corporate office.

The most famous laugh that we Indians like to talk about is Lakshmana’s mysterious guffaw during Rama’s coronation. Rama, Sita, his siblings and everyone present thought he was laughing at them, until he explained that after 14 years, Nidra Devi had chosen that very moment to tell him to sleep and that was the cause of his merriment. Laughter then can also lead to misunderstandings.

Recently, I saw a news report about how it has been found that volunteering is a stressbuster. Laughter has also been found to be one. Have you ever noticed that laughter makes us feel lighter, energetic, and cheerful? I am a firm believer in the power of laughter, though I have not joined a laughter club or practised laughter yoga. I know of someone who reads a few new jokes every morning and laughs heartily, as they feel that sets the tone for the day. A simple good morning with a smile to the folks at home, does wonders for everyone. Laughter is found to release endorphins and serotonin to lift one’s mood, boost immunity, lower blood pressure, improve the heart rate, and even reduce aches and pains.

Let us then get ready to lighten up and light up our lives with our laughter!

lakshmi.r.srinivas@gmail.com