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“Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease from pain.” – Charlie Chaplin
Laughter has no boundaries in the world. It is a tool used in various industries, including cartoons, films, stand-up comedy, and advertising.
It’s in our nature to laugh.
It even provides many health benefits, like altering the chemical changes in our bodies to overcome stress and sadness. Although, when forced, laughter doesn’t provide us with the same benefits or feelings of comfort, joy, and relaxation. As not everything is funny, a joke can be not funny or offensive and sucks the emotions out that halt the biological reaction within us.
But what’s actually making us laugh?
Are the norms governed by society, our cultural groups, and our gender the reasons we find something funny that someone else doesn’t?
Something one person finds funny may not prove funny to another individual. That’s why those in advertising, politics, and even comedians take their work out to the people, gauge their responses, and then decide whether to use their material in final versions that the public hears or sees. It’s never easy, and companies don’t always get it right. They may find that the small percentage of groups that they reached out to is not the measure of the whole public, and their views and reactions may differ.
Laughter can truly be a tonic if used to engage audiences, and it can even provide a moment for individuals to connect or be at ease in the company of others. Laughter can change any environment and soften the hardest blows and moments in our lives. However, there is no escaping the racial or political humour in today’s world, and sometimes this can be used negatively in society, to conjure up issues of hate that did not exist before.
“Life is a play that does not allow testing. So, sing, cry, dance, laugh and live intensely, before the curtain closes and the piece ends with no applause.” – Charlie Chaplin
Find the light-hearted moments in the humour.
Understand the context in which you tell or hear a joke, and try to brighten someone’s day with something humorous. It helps shift our mindset and makes us feel more relaxed internally.
So, enjoy the moments that really do make you laugh, as laughter is truly a play. The light within the laughter will serve as the memories, to help you overcome the darker moments life brings your way.