Laugh Out Loud ~ lol

It is said that “Laughter is the Best Medicine”. I was having a more than usual stressed out day this past week and I searched myself mindfully for the anecdote. At first I released myself with some deep breathes in coming and out going; about five or so minutes. As I was sitting at my desk, I opened the drawer and before me, as if planned for this moment, is the magazine ‘Ode for intelligent optimists’. The entire magazine is on the topic of laughter. I thought to myself “how about that…with a chuckle coming from the inside out. The more I read about laughter the more I felt better in the moment. I became mentally unwound and I began to feel a shift in my mood and my thinking. It even offered a; start laughing out loud right now exercise for the moment! I tried it and I ended up laughing at myself pretty hard lol.

The following is a section from ‘Ode for intelligent optimists’, the article is called;

An Anatomy Of Risibility


(The article is written by: Blaine Greteman; teaches at Oklahoma State University, where he gets plenty of derisive laughs from his students).

Belly Laugh: involuntary and intoxicating paroxysm that bypasses the laughter centers of the brain to go directly to the funny bone, in the vicinity of the solar plexus.

Cackle: Especially pronounced in cartoon witches and villains, this rapid-fire vocalization builds to a crescendo of malevolent delight.

Chuckle: Brief aspirated trisyllables (“he-he-he” or “ha-ha-ha”) with connotations of assent, grandfatherly approval or, more often, total incomprehension.

Contemptuous Laugh: A specialty of the bully, the mocking “ha ha” (“harrumph” among the upper classes) communicated the worthlessness of an idea or person. May be acoustically identical to other laughs but is perceived differently by the apparent object of scorn.

Existential Laugh: Typically, a subdued laugh that occurs in moments that may seem inappropriate on the surface, such as discussions of death, taxes, general decrepitude or receding hairlines.

Giggle: Trilling, high-pitched vocalization produced by constriction of the larynx. Traditionally pathologized in males (see Herbert, George, c. 1620: “The giggler is a milkmaid”) but potentially desirable in females (see Lewis, jerry lee, c. 1958: “A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk makes the world go ‘round”).

Guffaw: Explosive outburst often accompanied by extreme bodily contortion (head thrown back, body doubled over) that may end in a chortle or snort.

Nervous Laugh: Brief, staccato bursts that accompany embarrassing situations (“Was that your cat I just ran over?”) or awkward inquiries (“Do I look fat in this?”)

Revolutionary Laugh: The vocal equivalent of extending your middle finger to those in power.

Satirical Laugh: Wry, knowing, critical laugh that seems to say, “If I weren’t laughing right now, I’d be weeping.”

Social Laugh: An invitation to socialize, in females, typically son-like, in males, typically ape-like.

“The laugh and its specific acoustics can communicate a whole variety of meanings, derisive and contemptuous, modest and embarressed, and down the line” – Dacher Keitner, psychology professor, University of California, Burkeley.

So lets the words speak for themselves and lets everyone go the the last laugh…until it hurts!

…Sending big huge giggles and chuckles your way for your Day!

Charlene