Laughter is NOT a Luxury

Norman Cousins, diagnosed with a terminal illness, given 6 months to live, and a 1/500 chance of recovery, cured himself with LAUGHTER.

You heard me.

He saw how the worry, depression, and anger in his life had caused his dis-ease, and wondered, “If illness can be caused by negativity, can wellness be created by positivity?”

The answer, a resounding . . . YES!!!!

“I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep.”

Laughter is not a luxury, nor is it something to be pulled out only on special occasions.  Laughter is essential to our physical health and well-being.

Busting a gut is one of the best stress-busters out there.

Almost anything that makes us laugh and smile is a good thing!  Even really silly stuff . . . like Happy Hippos singing A Lion Sleeps Tonight:

Or Chicken Little shaking his “groove thang” while waiting for the sky to fall.

{{SPLAT}}

But, seriously (or not), whether laughter cures your dis-ease (or not) . . . you’ll be happier in the interim.  So Laugh Out Loud whenever you can.

What have you got to lose???

Aah . . . that’s better!

Further reading:

* You Can’t Afford The Luxury of a Negative Thought ~ By Peter McWilliams

* The Healing Power of Laughter:  How the Marx Brothers brought Norman Cousins Back to Life:  Cousins goes on to mention many prominent thinkers throughout the ages who knew about the healing power of laughter, and this list includes Sir Frances Bacon, Immanuel Kant, Sigmund Freud, as well as the great Albert Schweitzer.

Quote:  No man is a failure who is enjoying life. ~ William Feather

Related post:  WP Daily Prompt ~ Luxury