Friday, November 13, 2009

The Joy Diet - Laughing well



I had fun this week "working at" discovering what makes me laugh most. Here then is a list, by no means exhaustive and by no means foolproof (especially when I'm counting laughs), and in no particular order...

1. My man's silly miming
2. Monty Python
3. Movie musicals
4. Meals out with friends
5. Movement improv
6. Musical improv
7. Making silly faces
8. Bowling
9. Ping pong
10. Participating in any sports I'm woefully unskilled at
11. Jimmy Kimmel's unnecessary censorship
12. Flight of the Conchords

I found the easiest laughs come when I'm with others, the least reliable when I try to go to one of my media sources of guffaws and giggles. I think I got a good dose of 25 laughs in the few hours I spent at dinner with friends. That day was easily well beyond the recommended minimum. Other days, where I spent almost the entire day alone, I was unable to reach the minimum threshold of 30 even with the help of funny videos. I guess real people I know are the best way to keep a smile on my face. For those dull days when I'm not around others I've thought about trying laughter yoga. Have any of you tried it? What have I missed? What funny bone ticklers do you prefer?

9 comments:

  1. Laughter yoga, no, this is not my cup of tea.
    But you're right, it's so easy to laugh when others are around.
    I like people who make me laugh. But I am very special with people who tend to wind up everyone. I don't like that at all.

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  2. I have begun to really notice who makes me laugh. My sister is someone who can laugh at everything. It is great to share special moments with people who know how to laugh or help us to remember to laugh. Have a great weekend laughing.

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  3. Children have an amazing capacity for laughter. We can learn a lot with them - as well as laugh alongside!

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  4. I laugh less when I'm by myself, but do find that even when I am alone, some books, online jokes, movies, etc. will make me laugh out loud. And the fact that I drove to church a couple of Sundays ago with my slippers on made me laugh all by myself. It was too late to turn around and go home, so others came into the act - we were all laughing. I guess one of the lessons from this chapter is to be aware of how much laughter we're getting; if there is a time in my life when I'm spending more alone time, I may need to make sure I'm taking some supplements!

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  5. Some of these videos we are seeing today really make me laugh. Especially the kids ones... Thanks for the great post.

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  6. Thanks for sharing what makes you laugh!

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  7. That's a cute collage...and your list is nice! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I agree that I laugh more when I'm with other people. I haven't made a list of what makes me laugh, though. I think I need to!

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  9. love it!! laughing is life & love. sending you lots of love, laughs & hugs!!

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