Smiling and laughing are permitted, encouraged and celebrated on Thursday, January 24 – World Belly Laugh Day.
People everywhere are asked to pause at 1:24 p.m. (their local time) to smile, throw their arms in the air and laugh out loud in a “Belly Laugh Bounce ’Round the World.”
Actually, laughing may offer you more than just psychological therapy. More than a decade ago researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore concluded that laughter is linked to the healthy function of blood vessels, after using amusing movies to gauge the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow, the study showed.
“Fifteen minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system,” said principal investigator Michael Miller. “The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so, given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.”The world’s funniest joke
In 2002, Dr, Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire in England carried out Internet-based survey on humor and, in the process, unearthed what might be considered the funniest joke in the world. Over the course of one year, more than 40,000 jokes were rated two million times by people from a variety of countries. Wiseman said the research revealed huge differences in nations’ preferences for humor. For example, Wiseman said, Americans and Canadians prefer jokes where superior people are taken down a peg or two, while British, Irish and Australians most like jokes that use word play.
Here is the joke with the most universal appeal:
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy takes out his phone and calls the emergency services.
He gasps, “My friend is dead, what can I do?” The operator says, “Calm down, I can help. First let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is a silence, then a gunshot is heard. Back on the phone the guy says: “OK, now what?”