Make 'Em Laugh*

Hahaha lol lulz hehehe bahahaha hardy har har --- Laughter.
This post is about laughter!

Laughing is one of my favorite things to do. I often worry that I do not laugh enough! But laughter is also incredibly bizarre. Our breathing shortens to the point where we're practically choking on air, weird sounds come out of our mouths, and our faces look dumb. Sometimes the laughter face can be mistaken for the pain or fear face. And this happens when we are thoroughly enjoying something. Watch strangers on the street during your people-watching sessions and just try to tell me that it's not weird! Weird but completely amazing and I'd rather be laughing than doing anything else. Here's some interesting facts about laughing (something we alllll take for granted!):

• Laughter is universal. All humans in all cultures laugh.

• We start laughing very early-- when we're about 4 months old.

• Laughter is unconscious. If you force it, you fake it. 

• Laughter is contagious. Perhaps that's the idea behind the cheesy laugh track??

• Laughter is a form of social communication. We rarely laugh when we're alone (I feel like I laugh a lot when I'm by myself...) and laugh 30 times more when in the company of others. What's more, the person doing the talking laughs twice as much as the person listening. Laughter is also thought to be the first form of communication between humans. "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." - Victor Borge

• Women laugh twice as much as men.

• We aren't the only ones that laugh! Other mammals laugh! Check out these rats!

• The study of laughter is called gelotology. (Weird word, huh? Comes from the Greek word for laughter gelos, geloto) If I were a comedian, I'd refer to myself as a gelotologist. And then I'd sound like an asshole! So it goes.

•  You've all heard the expression, "laughter is the best medicine," well, I'd like to add to that, "only in small doses! Or else you might die!" hahaha Yes, you read correctly, apparently you can DIE from laughter! Really intense laughter can stop the oxygen flow to your brain and cause you some major issues. Also, laughter-induced syncope (fainting) is a thing. Crazy! But before you start deleting your unwatched SNL episodes from your DVR (ha, jk! that show hasn't been funny in years), wikipedia only has like 6 cases on there. Death from laughter only happens to the really unfortunate! And men, it seems! (Sorry, men.) Ha, like one reported case is from the third century B.C. and involves a Greek philosopher dying after laughing from feeding his donkey wine and watching his donkey try to eat figs. Just don't follow in his foot steps. I mean, everything in moderation! Laughter is still the best!

*Creative title credit goes to Lauren, and of course, Singin' in the Rain.