Have you ever laughed so hard that you actually peed your pants? Have you ever had a fit of the giggles that you just couldn't stop, no matter how inappropriate it was? If you haven't, then you are missing out.
Laughter is a huge part of your mental well-being and is necessary if you want to stay balanced.
"Most laughter is not in response to jokes or humor," says Robert R.
Provine, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Provine should know.
He has conducted a number of studies of laughter and wrote the book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.
One of his main arguments is that humour and laughter are not inseparable.
Provine did a survey of laughter in the wild -- he and some graduate students listened in on conversations in public places and made notes.
And in a survey of 1,200 "laugh episodes," he found that only 10%-20% of laughs were caused by anything resembling a joke.
The other 80%-90% of comments that received a laugh were mundane comments like, "I'll see you guys later" and "It was nice meeting you, too.
" So why the laughs? We laugh for many different reasons and not just from hearing a great joke.
Sometimes laughter is used to fit in with a group of people.
It can be used as a sort of verbal cue that lets others know that you are in agreement with their ideas.
Sometimes we have a nervous laughter that is used to re-assure ourselves in uncertain or unfamiliar situations.
Studies show that we actually laugh less as we age.
Unfortunately, this is the time when we actually need to laugh more.
As we progress through life, we build up stress from day to day living.
This stress is cumulative and if we don't release some of it, it can turn around and bite you in the behind with such maladies as depression, tight muscles, and poor heart health.
We laugh with our whole body and as a result, it releases endorphins into our bloodstream that give us a pleasurable feeling.
Another important point is that by keeping a positive attitude and not taking yourself so seriously, you will bring opportunity your way.
If you are stuck in a rut and are depressed, it is very hard to see these opportunities that are frequently right in front of you.
Do you like being around sad, negative people? If you are like me, you probably have that one friend who is always complaining and is down in the dumps.
Every time you try to have a conversation with them, they manage to bring you down to their level of despair.
These people actually like being depressed and seem to get a lot of attention from their negativity.
Do Animals Laugh? While humans might fancy themselves as the only animal capable of laughter, evidence suggests otherwise.
In fact, apes seem to laugh as well.
They make a distinctive open-mouthed 'play face' and pant rapidly.
"The 'ha, ha' noise of human laughter," Provine tells WebMD, "ultimately has its origins in the ritualized panting laughter of our primate ancestors.
" Some researchers have found laugh-like behavior in other animals, even in the rat.
So, keep a positive attitude and try to laugh about your mistakes.
Laughter is a huge part of your mental well-being and is necessary if you want to stay balanced.
"Most laughter is not in response to jokes or humor," says Robert R.
Provine, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Provine should know.
He has conducted a number of studies of laughter and wrote the book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.
One of his main arguments is that humour and laughter are not inseparable.
Provine did a survey of laughter in the wild -- he and some graduate students listened in on conversations in public places and made notes.
And in a survey of 1,200 "laugh episodes," he found that only 10%-20% of laughs were caused by anything resembling a joke.
The other 80%-90% of comments that received a laugh were mundane comments like, "I'll see you guys later" and "It was nice meeting you, too.
" So why the laughs? We laugh for many different reasons and not just from hearing a great joke.
Sometimes laughter is used to fit in with a group of people.
It can be used as a sort of verbal cue that lets others know that you are in agreement with their ideas.
Sometimes we have a nervous laughter that is used to re-assure ourselves in uncertain or unfamiliar situations.
Studies show that we actually laugh less as we age.
Unfortunately, this is the time when we actually need to laugh more.
As we progress through life, we build up stress from day to day living.
This stress is cumulative and if we don't release some of it, it can turn around and bite you in the behind with such maladies as depression, tight muscles, and poor heart health.
We laugh with our whole body and as a result, it releases endorphins into our bloodstream that give us a pleasurable feeling.
Another important point is that by keeping a positive attitude and not taking yourself so seriously, you will bring opportunity your way.
If you are stuck in a rut and are depressed, it is very hard to see these opportunities that are frequently right in front of you.
Do you like being around sad, negative people? If you are like me, you probably have that one friend who is always complaining and is down in the dumps.
Every time you try to have a conversation with them, they manage to bring you down to their level of despair.
These people actually like being depressed and seem to get a lot of attention from their negativity.
Do Animals Laugh? While humans might fancy themselves as the only animal capable of laughter, evidence suggests otherwise.
In fact, apes seem to laugh as well.
They make a distinctive open-mouthed 'play face' and pant rapidly.
"The 'ha, ha' noise of human laughter," Provine tells WebMD, "ultimately has its origins in the ritualized panting laughter of our primate ancestors.
" Some researchers have found laugh-like behavior in other animals, even in the rat.
So, keep a positive attitude and try to laugh about your mistakes.