THE POWER OF A SMILE

The healing power of laughter continues to be explored by modern medical science. The therapeutic benefits persist to amaze those who put a good belly laugh to the test.

What has since been discovered is that when we laugh our blood pressure and stress levels decrease, we rid ourselves of depression, there’s an increase of oxygen in our blood which gives us more energy along with an increase of the endorphin activity in our body resulting in a sense of well being. Many believe that people are even more socially attractive since many enjoy being with those who laugh easily and often.

The American Association for Therapeutic Humor reports that too often a good laugh is what’s most missed throughout our day. A study of hundreds of adults discovered that those with the ability to laugh are 30% more likely to be happy than those without. Other studies have linked humor to creativity, productivity, health, and even the physical recovery process. Bearing that in mind, it only seems logical that humor can often be the best medicine in turning our mental and spiritual struggles around.

One of the most notable stories of laughter’s remarkable healing properties is Norman Cousins who had been told by doctors that he had a connective tissue disease with only months to live. Instead of surrendering to what he was assured imminent death, he followed a regimen of high doses of vitamin C and administered large doses of his favorite comedies (Marx Brothers films and Candid Camera episodes). These positive emotions along with heavy quantities of genuine belly laughs overcame his debilitating disease. He ultimately died on November 30, 1990, following cardiac arrest, and having lived years longer than doctors more than once had predicted: ten years after his first heart attack, sixteen years after his collagen illness, and twenty-six years after his doctors first diagnosed heart disease.

Love is often preached yet more frequently ignored and exchanged for aggression lead by fear. To say that the smile is the solution to world peace is hardly a logical antidote, or is it? The beauty of Magic Michael’s magic is that it is contagious; it’s up to us to remain open to this simple mode of healing. This could be the ultimate weapon that the world has been waiting for. And it’s been right there in front of our faces all of this time: Smile.