What's Your "Laugh Count"?

We hear a lot of talk in health circles about the importance of white blood cell counts, sugar counts, counting calories, and so on. But when was the last time you checked your laugh count?

The folks at Teamsugar.com indicate that children laugh approximately 400 times a day, while adults laugh about 15 times a day. For the adult in the people-helping field, this indicates an epidemic. We've got to increase our laugh count!

What laughter does

According to Psychology Today and Howstuffworks.com, laughter...

• Establishes (or restores) a positive emotional climate between two people
• Defuses anger and anxiety
• Paves the path to intimacy
• Helps us cope with major illness and stresses of life
• Provides a safety valve that shuts off the flow of stress hormones (which are known to suppress the immune system)
• Releases natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses
• Is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike (if you laugh 100 times)
• Provides a way for stored negative emotions (anger sadness and fear) to be harmlessly released

How to increase your laugh count

• Reconnect with what makes you laugh - then engage in it (a movie, that joke book that's collecting dust in your basement, etc.).
• Identify the funny people you know - then spend more time with them.
• Memorize a joke a day and make a commitment to share it with someone.
• Fake it.  Just start laughing for no apparent reason (you might want to do this when you're alone in the car or something).
• Smile. Simply change your expression.
• Give yourself permission to laugh. Even though the needs are all around us, laughter is still an emotion God gave us for a reason. Laughter is a legitimate and healthy activity. Don't add guilt to your laughter.

Weave laughter into the fabric of you people-helping and you'll be Serving Strong!