The Power of Laughter
Laughter. This is what I believe in. The kind of laughter that makes your friends
embarrassed to be seen with you, but also makes them start laughing just as
hard a minute later. Over the years, I
have come across a few articles saying that laughing keeps you healthy and
makes you live longer. I like to believe
that’s true, not just because I laugh a lot and am just so weird that I make
everyone else laugh all the time, too, but because I think it’s great to think
that being happy makes you a healthier person.
My boyfriend and I have this running joke—whenever one of us does
something really random and goofy but that makes the other one laugh, we always
say “well, at least you’re making people live longer” which started because of my
license plate.
A couple years ago when my parents and I started looking at used cars, I constantly looked at Jeeps. I was obsessed with them. I wanted a Jeep Wrangler—specifically a two-door, Surf Pearl Blue one. I knew it wasn’t a practical choice, mainly because all the ones I found were either too expensive or a manual (which I can’t drive) but I wanted one anyways. I didn’t get one, but I still have high hopes that I will…one of these days. However, we did find (and buy) a 1999 Nissan Altima; I paid for half and so did my parents, so it was the shared “family” car. I liked the car so much though that I paid my parents back their half towards the car and named him Enrique. A few months later the license plate tags expired and we had to order new ones. My mom jokingly suggested I get “IM A JEEP” as my plate, since I love Jeeps so much. I took it seriously though and ordered it. Right away I wondered if it was a really dumb thing to do, but as I drove around and saw people laughing at it I realized that I could possibly make someone’s day a little better or make them smile just by having this silly license plate. I once saw an older couple out walking, point at my parked car and smile at each other. It made me realize how much I love my license plate. I’m glad that it makes people laugh, because then I can say that I’m making people live longer…and I do say that all the time!
Even if the articles claiming that laughing will make a person live longer aren’t true, hearing or seeing something funny always improves my mood. Thanks to my parents and my boyfriend, I’m the proud owner of all ten seasons of Friends. Whenever I have a long, stressful day or I’m feeling sick, most of the time all I want to do is watch Friends. Even if I haven’t cracked a smile all day, watching a show like this can always get me to. There is one episode in particular that I watch at least twice a month and make a reference to or quote from once a week. It never gets old; the jokes are still just as funny and it still makes me laugh so hard my abs start to hurt. And no matter what, it makes my day about ten times better after I watch it.
Maybe the articles and research are true, but if they’re not I feel like laughing does make me happier and healthier and I feel great knowing that a silly decision I made of what to make my license plate puts a smile on other people’s faces, even if it is only for a second. That’s why I think that laughter is so important: even if you are having a bad day, a single joke can turn your mood around. So if you’re going to believe in something—and I think everyone should believe in something, even if it’s to not believe in anything—my advice is to always believe in the power of laughter. And if you’re having a bad day, go watch the Friends episode “The One Where Ross is Fine” to cheer yourself up.
A couple years ago when my parents and I started looking at used cars, I constantly looked at Jeeps. I was obsessed with them. I wanted a Jeep Wrangler—specifically a two-door, Surf Pearl Blue one. I knew it wasn’t a practical choice, mainly because all the ones I found were either too expensive or a manual (which I can’t drive) but I wanted one anyways. I didn’t get one, but I still have high hopes that I will…one of these days. However, we did find (and buy) a 1999 Nissan Altima; I paid for half and so did my parents, so it was the shared “family” car. I liked the car so much though that I paid my parents back their half towards the car and named him Enrique. A few months later the license plate tags expired and we had to order new ones. My mom jokingly suggested I get “IM A JEEP” as my plate, since I love Jeeps so much. I took it seriously though and ordered it. Right away I wondered if it was a really dumb thing to do, but as I drove around and saw people laughing at it I realized that I could possibly make someone’s day a little better or make them smile just by having this silly license plate. I once saw an older couple out walking, point at my parked car and smile at each other. It made me realize how much I love my license plate. I’m glad that it makes people laugh, because then I can say that I’m making people live longer…and I do say that all the time!
Even if the articles claiming that laughing will make a person live longer aren’t true, hearing or seeing something funny always improves my mood. Thanks to my parents and my boyfriend, I’m the proud owner of all ten seasons of Friends. Whenever I have a long, stressful day or I’m feeling sick, most of the time all I want to do is watch Friends. Even if I haven’t cracked a smile all day, watching a show like this can always get me to. There is one episode in particular that I watch at least twice a month and make a reference to or quote from once a week. It never gets old; the jokes are still just as funny and it still makes me laugh so hard my abs start to hurt. And no matter what, it makes my day about ten times better after I watch it.
Maybe the articles and research are true, but if they’re not I feel like laughing does make me happier and healthier and I feel great knowing that a silly decision I made of what to make my license plate puts a smile on other people’s faces, even if it is only for a second. That’s why I think that laughter is so important: even if you are having a bad day, a single joke can turn your mood around. So if you’re going to believe in something—and I think everyone should believe in something, even if it’s to not believe in anything—my advice is to always believe in the power of laughter. And if you’re having a bad day, go watch the Friends episode “The One Where Ross is Fine” to cheer yourself up.