Laughter! The Infectious, Wonderful and Healing Power Of It

I saw the most amazing Coca Cola commercial the other day and it really made me pause and take in the powerful meaning of laughter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfezfZPw-qk. While the commercial was definitely written and produced to sell their product (not that Coca Cola needs to really "sell" their mammoth brand) the message was a whole lot bigger.  When I posted this to my LI page, someone commented with the following https://bit.ly/1ScSbli .... "A successful social experiment performed by those who know how humans function. I bet they have a team (or a good partner) of psychologists who helped them design and test it. Admirable that Coke is positioning itself so far way from selling sweet water: the brand engages people at a much higher level. May be a coincidence they did it in Belgium, where people need more laughter now, or just Coke is so perfectly globally sensitive, as it should be. Someone is paying attention now." They sure were paying attention. And in the best possible way with todays world climate and how the Advertising industry needs to pay closer attention to telling a bigger, more personal story.

The world we live in today certainly needs a lot more laughter in it. I am not someone who wants to live in fear, but there's a lot of scary stuff out there. Terrorist attacks, government corruption,the current state of our impending Presidential election, economic collapse. Yikes. The list can go on, but I'll stop there for now. My point? None of that is laughable stuff. But laughter has a way of unifying everyone and bringing  out our very best selves. I know for me, it's one of my very favorite things to engage in. Heck, one of the reasons I married my husband is because he has managed to make me laugh out loud, literally, every single day in the 20 plus years we've been together. Laughter and love go hand in hand.

It's also a proven fact that laughter makes you healthier. According to a recent article for Web MD: https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter

Some researchers think laughter just might be the best medicine, helping you feel better and putting that spring back in your step.

"I believe that if people can get more laughter in their lives, they are a lot better off," says Steve Wilson, MA, CSP, a psychologist and laugh therapist. "They might be healthier too."

Yet researchers aren't sure if it's actually the act of laughing that makes people feel better. A good sense of humor, a positive attitude, and the support of friends and family might play a role, too.

"The definitive research into the potential health benefits of laughter just hasn't been done yet," says Robert R. Provine, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.

But while we don't know for sure that laughter helps people feel better, it certainly isn't hurting.

With all the things swirling around our heads and lives, the demands of work, family, LIFE, if you can do just one thing every day that will make a difference in how we cope with the best and the worst times, try laughter. And if you can share it, I'm sure the results will be just as infectious as the beautiful message from the Coke ad above! :-D