Beyond the Buddha's smile . . .

.. to forced laughter. Fascinating idea. Fascinating story. Simple, appealing logic.

Here's the key paragraph:

Why would phony laughter work? Because your body doesn't know it's fake, even though your brain might, Professor Schaefer said. "Once the brain signals the body to laugh, the body doesn't care why. It's going to release endorphins, it's going to relieve stress as a natural physiological response to the physical act of laughing."

Thanks Dom. Please note: this story is about an experiment in the United States. It was published in the Washington Post, repeated in an Australian paper, then reached me, by way of an email from my friend Dom who lives in Sydney. There's another message in that sequence some where ;-)

Wow! It works!

I felt like an idiot doing it. It's 6 am and I didn't want to disturb Bren who's still sleeping. So I went outside to the gazebo where I hoped the surrounding bushes would absorb the noises before I woke up my neighbors.

And I laughed. I laughed out loud. I had a funny image in my head. It helped. But I really didn't think I could force a laugh and sustain it for a full minute. I did. In the end I laughed at myself laughing. I imagined neighbors hearing me and wondering what it was. Wondering if I had finally flipped.

And it felt good. I feel good. This line of research has to be pursued. How do we influence our moods with physical actions? Hey, on one level this is all just common sense, but then, why isn't everyone doing it if it's so common? Hmmm... and does it apply to the item that follows this one? To love we should love. Begin by greeting someone warmly - handshaking, hugging, looking them in the eye and laughing. Even when forced - when artificial, will this release certain chemicals in our bodies that will enhance our moods and make the relationship work better? I'll put it to the test later today when I meet with some people who I don't agree with, nor feel warmly towards.

And I wonder how you make people feel better in a listening project? Is there something in this that can help? Posted by Greg Stone at April 5, 2003 05:55 AM