Laughter is powerful “emotional” medicine.  It has been shown to lift ailing spirits, foster instant relaxation, reduce stress and burnout, and improve health and healing by bolstering the immune system.

“Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally,” according to Norman Cousins, author of Anatomy of an Illness.  In his book, Cousins credits daily belly laughs and a positive attitude as important to his recovery from a life-threatening illness.  His book, published in 1979, launched widespread interest in the role and power of the mind in health and healing that continues today.

Here are some tips to add more laughter to your life:

• Lighten up.  Laugh at yourself.
• Look for the humor in everyday activities that are silly or absurd.
• Keep a book of cartoons or jokes handy for comic relief when you are faced with a stressful situation.
• Start your own humor file and collect cartoons, jokes, videos, books, and pictures that lighten up your spirit and bring you laughter. 
• Bookmark humorous websites.
• Wear humorous accessories.
• Watch a funny movie or TV sitcom.
• Take a humor break every day and read something funny, add to a humor notebook, or listen to a funny tape or CD. 
• Share a funny story with a friend.
• Hang around with funny friends.
• Look for the humor in awkward or difficult situations.

Source: Wellness News You Can Use, National Wellness Institute, March 2004.