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Laughs Per Day

What if there were a minimum daily requirement for laughter? Martha Beck believes laughter is an essential ingredient for a joyful life. In her book The Joy Diet (a must read), she discusses the benefits of laughing every day.

 I remember reading about Norman Cousins. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness and used laughter to cure it. He watched reruns of the 3 Stooges every day and found that his pain tolerance increased in direct proportion to the time he spent laughing. In fact, if he laughed for 3 hours each morning, his day was pain free. He chronicles his healing experience in his landmark book:

I haven't yet read it, but I intend to. 

Anyhow, I believe in laughter. It always lifts my mood. In fact, when I think of some of my favorite people to be around, they are people who either stimulate my mind or make me laugh. 

I can't feel mad or sad when I'm laughing. I've also noticed that laughter breaks the ice in awkward situations, creates a killer intro, and always helps me connect with others.

We laugh a lot together as a family. In fact, almost every night we watch old Saturday Night Live episodes, Ellen De Generes reruns, or Jimmy Fallon lip syncs. It's so fun to laugh as a family.

How often do you laugh each day? Do you laugh at least 30 times per day? 30 times is what Martha Beck considers to be the daily minimum requirement. 30 times sounds like a lot, huh? After reading her daily requirement, I thought it would be fun to carry around a ticker to see if I'm meeting her suggested dose. While I haven't been clicking a ticker today, I've made a mental note each time I've laughed today and I think I've laughed about 10 times. It's a good thing I'm headed home because I know I'll easily add another 20 laughs before I retire tonight. I'm going to be with my family and we always laugh through dinner and our concert at the Jr. High will for sure bring loads of laughter. 

In conclusion, laugh hard, often, and at least 30 times per day. Oh, and I hope it goes without saying, don't be cruel with your laughter. Feel free to laugh at yourself, and make yourself the butt of every joke, but be careful not to laugh at the expense of others. That's just jack-assey. 

How about I close with a joke or two (feels so apropro): 

Today at the bank, an old lady asked me to help check her balance. So I pushed her over.

I bought some shoes from a drug dealer. I don't know what he laced them with, but I've been tripping all day.

If you want more good ones, go here: http://pun.me/pages/funny-jokes.php
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