I was reading an article recently about laughter and it got me thinking. We as teachers know how hard it is to teach jokes in English. They just don´t translate as well in a second language. Being Irish I have tried to use funny Limericks (sentences that rhyme) in class. I have used this classic with higher-level students:
There once was a man from Nantucket,
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
His daughter, named Nan
Ran away with a man,
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
They usually get as far as the last line and then stumble on the meaning of Nantucket. The problem is they try to link the word back to the first line where Nantuket signifies a place. They get confused and of course miss the joke entirely! In the end I simply give up and explain that Nantuket literally means: Nan took it!
But let´s forget about Limericks for a moment and move on to the theme I really want to talk about which is laughter. When was the last time we really laughed and felt our bellies ache and our jaws sore? Do we give ourselves a chance to forget about the problems of the world albeit climate change, the Ukraine-Russia war, the rise in petrol and gas prices, forest fires caused by aridity and instead take time out to laugh?
Why do doctors and dieticians not encourage us to laugh more when there are so many health benefits? Laughing causes our immune system to strengthen thereby increasing our antibodies thus helping our bodies to fight infection and disease. Our abdomen muscles contract when we laugh giving them a workout! It also keeps our hearts healthy. When we laugh our blood vessels dilate. As they open wider, blood flows much more easily through our veins transporting much needed oxygen around our bodies lowering our blood pressure.
Why is the need for narcotics spiralling out of control when we have a natural opiate called the happy hormones? Laughing encourages our bodies to release these hormones subsequently increasing our happiness. Dopamine improves our mood, adrenaline makes us more alert and receptive, and serotonin is a calming, pain-relieving endorphin. So why not take a cup of coffee and a square of chocolate or go for a run in the countryside to release these hormones?
For those of you who are yoga fans you may be interested to know that there is a yoga discipline called Laughter Yoga (Hasyayoga). It bases itself on the fact that laughing for a period can help regulate breathing and bring oxygen to the lungs. The breathing exercises learned prepare the body for a good bout of laughter. As we breathe in and out, we expand our lungs and relax our muscles.
For anyone who suffers from insomnia, laughter is the best medicine. Watching a comedy on TV can be the best way to get you to sleep. Studies have shown that our cerebral cortex releases electrical impulses that block the passage of negative thoughts one second after we start laughing. This means that the stresses of the day are blocked out as our head hits the pillow and we fall asleep naturally.
So let us lighten up and laugh more. I hope this joke starts you off!
Two boys were arguing when the teacher entered the room.
The teacher says, “Why are you arguing?”
One boy answers, “We found a ten euro note and decided to give it to whoever tells the biggest lie.”
“You should be ashamed of yourselves,” said the teacher, “When I was your age, I didn’t even know what a lie was.”
The boys gave the ten euro note to the teacher!