Monday, April 26, 2021

Science of Laughter

 

Did you know that humans normally don’t laugh out loud unless they’re in the company of other humans? Imagine yourself watching Uncle Buck, Animal House, or Bridesmaids on DVD all by yourself, with no one else around. Then picture yourself watching these movies in a crowded theatre.

Yep. . .  you’ll barely eek out a snicker alone at home, but you’ll laugh out loud in a theatre full of fellow peeps. It’s part of our mysterious human-to-human frequency that connects us together.

Oddly enough, though, I often crack myself up when I'm writing. It must be due to the fact that writing is such a private and wholly internal experience. We're legends in our own minds, I guess.

Laughter is a scientific wonder. It’s both physical and spiritual because of our miniature army we know as endorphins. These feel-good guys rule the body and the mind for both love and humor. They lift our mood and make our hearts race. A tickle of the funny bone sends those endorphins into action to instantly manage our blood pressure too.

Forget the expensive supplements that claim to get rid of the spare tire around your middle. That flab belt is the result of an excess of Cortisol, a hormone released as a result of poor diet, negative thoughts, and persistent stress. Frequent belly laughs get rid of belly fat . . . and they’re completely free of charge.

By the way, these bodily changes happen with a mere smile, a shared joke, or when we hear a funny story. We suddenly feel uber-social and linked to others. This is needed more now than ever before, since we’ve been locked down and wrapped in face diapers for the past year.

Laughter is one of those traits that makes us uniquely human and individual. Like a fingerprint or a retina scan, the pattern, tone, and pitch of our laughter is an important part of who we are. Whether it’s a melodic trill like the cartoon character of Wilma Flintstone, or the one extra-loud burst of “HAAA!” from the likes of character actress Margorie Main (remember her as Ma Kettle from the 1950s?), we recognize someone’s laugh as part of their personality. I’m sure you could recognize hundreds of laughs if given an audio quiz.

When I was in school—elementary through high school—I would gravitate toward those who had a great sense of humor, especially humor of the naughty kind. I consciously sought out these talented individuals because I love to laugh. At just the right timing, a mere sideways glance and a wrinkled nose can make me laugh out loud. I’ve gotten myself into trouble at more than one funeral because I remembered something funny about the person.

This reminds me of that hilarious episode from The Mary Tyler Moore Show about Chuckles the Clown’s funeral. Everyone is tearful and somber at the death of poor Chuckles until Mary breaks the pall by thinking of funny things the clown had said and done in his career. It starts with Mary trying to hold back a "chuckle" and an embarrassed glance. Then it snowballs when Mary can’t stifle an outburst, which grows to the whole congregation at an infectious rate. Soon the whole room is rolling with laughter. The inappropriate situation is altogether appropriate for the funeral of a clown.

Sometimes I’m the only one that thinks something is funny. I thoroughly enjoyed my private guffaw sessions when I wrote the Dushane Sisters Trilogy. I even inserted scenes I knew I’d delete, just to see what my sister and mother would say when they read the early drafts. I could almost pinpoint the hour I’d get a phone call:

“Are you crazy? You can’t write that!” my sister would say.

“I know,” I replied, “I was waiting for you to run into that scene.”

“You are so wicked. On second thought . . . keep it in.”

“No, I’ll take it out.”

“No, Keep it in.”

“Are you crazy? I can’t keep that in the book.”

And so it went . . . full circle. Those fun sparring sessions bonded us forever.

Humor is pure positive energy, and laughter raises our frequency level by ten fold. Just a smile or issuing a compliment will raise our positive energy level. I'm learning a lot about frequencies these days. They'll be super important when the new quantum technology is de-classified in the coming months. Much of it will be tied to our consciousness and energy. After all, we humans really are electrical devices with a soul. 

Our ability to laugh makes us truly special. So take off the masks and smile at each other again. I don't know about you, but I'm inviting as many people as possible to our July 4th barbeque. 

 


Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Kalispell, Montana with her husband and stepdaughter. She writes for the baby boomer audience. She spent 28 years as an executive in the entertainment industry and used her time in a theater seat to create stories that are filled with heart, humor, and mystery. She studied craft and storytelling at the Attic Institute and has completed the Hawthorne Fellows Program for writing and publishing. Active in the writing community, Courtney is a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association and on the Advisory Council of the Independent Publishing Resource Center. She is a member of Willamette Writers, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and Authors of the Flathead. The Executrix received the Library Journal Self-E recommendation seal.

Print and E-books are available through most major online retailers, including Amazon.com.
Check out all of Courtney's books: 


New York Times best-selling author Karen Karbo says, "Courtney Pierce spins a madcap tale of family grudges, sisterly love, unexpected romance, mysterious mobsters and dog love. Reading Indigo Lake is like drinking champagne with a chaser of Mountain Dew. Pure Delight."

Coming in 2022!


When Aubrey Cenderon moves to Montana after the death of her father, the peace and quiet of Big Sky Country becomes complicated with a knock on the door from the sheriff. An injured grizzly bear is on the loose and it must be eliminated before it kills again. The sheriff's insistence that she buy a gun for protection will present Aubrey with some serious soul-searching, because the grizzly-on-the-run is hunting her too . . . for a different reason.


5 comments:

peggy jaeger said...

if this is true - that humans don't LOL unless around other humans, I am the exception to the rule!! I laugh -loud and obnoxiously - wherever I am if something is funny. People walking past my open office window would think I was having party if they ever heard all the guffawing that goes on when I am writing or watching an episode of my favorite sitcom. Laughter, to me, is like breathing! Great and informative post, Courtney

Judith Ashley said...

Thank you for sharing this information, Courtney. I know there is something about infectious laughter which I understand as you are in a group and end up laughing and have no idea what it is about because you weren't part of the group where it started. I'm in the "exception to the rule" camp with Peggy. My house would become a dark cave of doom if I didn't laugh myself.

CourtneyPDX said...

The LOL rule is a general tendency, but I think the more creative you are, the more likely you will buck the trend. My husband and I are the same way.


Keep laughing! Humor is such a gift.

Deb N said...

I laugh all the time by myself - sometimes at the TV, sometimes at something I read. I laugh in the car when I am alone, when I see someone doing something funny in a car next to me. But, of course, I laugh the most when I am with other people. Fun post about laughter. I'm going to read this again.

Maggie Lynch said...

Loved the research into belly fat and laughter. Hmmm...I think I'm going to start looking for comedy clubs when the pandemic lifts. As others have said, I too laugh out loud even when I'm alone. In fact, I may laugh more alone than with others. Strange? Probably.

I love your sense of humor, what I've seen it. And you do have a gift for bringing humorous scenes into your books which make your characters truly feel whole and believable.