laughing is happiness

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Since time immemorial, human beings have wanted to surround themselves with people who make them laugh. From the ancient «court jesters» in the Middle Ages and centuries to come, to street performers, including clowns, now called clowns.
But we don’t just laugh with «laughter professionals», but we tend to approach people who make us laugh, are funny or make us laugh.

So what things make us laugh?

Without a doubt, since the beginning of time one of the things that has most amused us is the misfortune of others. If this is also by surprise such as a fall, an uncontrolled error, an oversight or a shameful public activity, much better. Laughing AT others is inherent to our human species. In some cartoon movies we have transmitted to animals a uniquely human quality, and that is to laugh at their fellow men. Zebras don’t laugh if another zebra gets hit with wood, or one goat doesn’t laugh at another if it falls down the gorge. This, which is essential and unique to human beings, historically accompanies us, making laughing at the misfortunes and misfortunes of others makes us and our own misfortunes and adversities feel better.
But another thing that makes us laugh is the Ingenuity that people show. Both poets and troubadours have made us smile and laugh with their clever puns. There is no doubt that people surrender to the ability of a speaker who brings out the best in us with his wit, sarcasm, irony or with his surrealism. Many comedians use ridiculous and meaningless puns to bring out the best in our smiles.
Fright and surprise are other elements that make us laugh. What at first is a reaction of fear and fright that produces a great shock, continues with a great laugh and laughter if we know how to fit the moment and that «the danger» is not real. Many television programs have been successful that offer «scares» in the middle of the street or in everyday circumstances that are beginning to seem strange. The reactions of us and those around us have provided us with great moments of laughter.
Another of those who are very successful is dressing up or dressing in a strange way. Above all because it breaks our molds about the person who does it, and if their image is different from how they are shown, it will surely make us much more amusing. Seeing bosses, managers, or people classified as serious in disguise will produce such a contrast that our brain will react in the best possible way, causing laughter. The secret for these people is that doing this humanizes them and brings them closer to «the rest of mortals». I hope the politicians understand this.
When irregular, histrionic or unusual situations or acts occur, our brain analyzes the situation, going through a moment of “this shouldn’t be happening” and then smiling or laughing depending on the moment. If someone starts to sing in the middle of the street, at first we will show surprise, and then laugh or smile. It is something unusual, that should not happen and that takes us out of our routine and our thoughts.
Another of the classics, because it is highly taboo, is related to Sex. Any act of nudity, play on words with reference to sex, or even a libidinous act in public, will produce a smile and amazement. Most of the jokes are related to sex, and since it is something that has been considered taboo and was not talked about, we have embedded in our DNA and surely for many years, that sex makes us blush, ashamed and… laugh.
Lately, work has been done, especially in Laughter Therapy workshops, with Laughter by contagion. What all our lives has been contagious laughter, which has little science, since human beings tend to imitate our peers, and when we see someone laugh heartily, we will surely fall little by little. What we achieve is «force» laughter, but its effects are equally positive. That is why many activities or jobs cause this effect, to have a relaxed atmosphere with which to face the activity and tasks.
Another of the moments of contagion of laughter is within the reach of very few, and that is to provoke laughter through bodily communication. Only with our body, gestures, faces, the way we move, can we provoke real laughter in other people. If we exaggerate, behave in a surreal way and do it in a convinced way, we can establish a connection with other people as strong as telling a joke. Most of the communication we have with others is bodily, and laughter escapes us from our gestures and movements.
And finally we sign up for shared laughter, through something that does not usually fail, laugh at ourselves. Not taking ourselves seriously, laughing at our flaws, our adversities, our failures, the mistakes we make. If you laugh at yourself, you already have someone you can always laugh with. And here is one of the pillars to be able to overcome pessimism, depression, anger and discomfort, and to know how to accept ourselves as we are, with our serious defects and the failures that we have so that we can laugh at ourselves and share that. with the rest. When you laugh at yourself, you are not only removing the weight of not supporting failure, but you are also making those around you happy, and they feel closer to you.
What is fantastic and sublime is being able to use all of them at different times, or even mix them. That will make us feel better, and most importantly, make those around us feel better.