Happiness at the molecular level

Here is a cross-section of a blade of grass, prepared for viewing with a microscope. It was done by Di Davis who asks that you respect her copyright of the image.

Doesn't it look like the grass is full of smiley faces?

Can you imagine a cross-section of a human cell showing something similar?
I can, and it is an amazing, amusing and wonderful thought.

Maybe, someday we'll have this kind of evidence proving that we can create happy human cells.

The source didn't say, but I'm assuming that the specimen is, like, lawn grass, and not the kind you smoke. That leads to a whole other discussion.

I'm just saying...

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Better With Age

Pro-aging looks like this.

"Old age and treachery always overcomes youth and skill."
~Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard

AS ATTITUDES GO, SEVENTY YEARS YOUNG IS BETTER THAN FORTY YEARS OLD

I am grateful that at the age of fifty I had a significantly positive, long-lasting, life-changing experience. It happened during a men’s drumming retreat weekend in the Texas woods.

Around the campfire, we discussed rites of passage, why they are significant, and how they are maintained in Native American cultures but largely discarded in contemporary “American” culture, where we have come to worship youth and discard our elderly. Too bad for America.

The retreat leaders prepared us for a rite of passage that would induct all of the men age fifty and older into a Council of Elders. The campfire ceremony took on a sacred aura. The larger group was instructed in the importance of respect for the wisdom of elders. I’m not sure how it affected the other “elders” but, in a mystical flash being formally elevated to this status changed my mindset about aging from fear and anxiety to positive expectancy.

The anticipation of more wisdom and the insights one can only attain with age has stayed with me. It makes it easier for me to embrace and accept the changes that come with aging.

Native American Elders

I did not know then that studies would later show that this kind of attitude is associated with increased longevity and better health. I feel like a lucky guy to have been in that place at that time.


BETTER WITH AGE
A great advantage of the work that I do with laughter –which I now believe can accurately be described as delivering happiness—is that I can do it for as long as strength, energy and enthusiasm hold out. I expect there will be large numbers of us doing a great job of it in our 80’s, 90’s, and beyond.

Rx: A Lifetime of Laughter

Long ago, I discovered that there are aspects of therapeutic laughter that cannot be taught.

They can only be learned from experience.

In some health & human services occupations these insights might be called “clinical judgment”.

It takes practice and feedback, trial and error sometimes, in order for us to form the mind-body pathways that we call higher skills, mastery, and smooth delivery.

Think about learning to ride a bicycle, drive a car, tie your shoes, fold an omelet, or navigate your hard drive.

With repetition, those pathways are virtually permanently programmed into our psycho-bio-neurological systems. Often, they feel like a combination of A-ha! & Ooh-ah! & Ha-ha!

Leading therapeutic laughter and delivering happiness, and doing it really well, is like that.

If you keep having experiences—even so-called failures—and you learn from them, you are getting better with age.

It means that you can look forward to getting even better with more aging.

It means that you can enthusiastically embrace a pro-aging mindset even in the midst of our anti-aging culture.

"Elder" Wavy Gravy at Earthdance 2006

The best is yet to come.

A SURVEY
Okay, that long-winded set-up leads to an important question for discussion. Positive psychology and Happiness expert, Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD, suggests we think about and exchange our ideas about aging this way:

Regarding any part of your life, in what ways have you developed and improved over time, with age?

Thinking back to any earlier point in your life, you might want to finish the starter: “If I knew then what I know now…”

Please respond here –and include how long you’ve been at it-- so we all can learn from each other.

Steve

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The kanji Warao (Laughter)

Kanji Warao (Laughter)

The Japanese have ancient understandings and traditions about laughter, happiness, and contentment.  Now, you can own a beautiful limited edition reproduction of a modern interpretation of that relationship: the kanji Warao (Laughter).

A wonderful gift of laughter.

A symbol of the reach of laughter through the ages and around the world, this unique collectible conversation art piece graces home or office as a contemporary expression of the earliest representation of laughter as a universal language.

 Exclusive limited edition keepsake symbolizes ancient respect and embracing of laughter
 Printed with old-world elegance on 24 lb archival quality Southworth parchment paper
 Acid & lignin free (won’t yellow with age)
 Overall size 8.5”x11”
 Suitable for matting & framing
 Affordably priced in keeping with universally lucky numerology
 Comes with Certificate of Authenticity

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW FOR ONLY $21.00 + s/h
(shown matted, for example; shipped unmatted)

A portion of proceeds provides financial support for the artist Kazu Mori, and Osugi Musical Theater.

Here is some folklore history…

The Shichi-fuku-jin (七福神) is the Seven Gods of Luck in Japanese folklore. They are comical deities, often portrayed riding together on a treasure ship (takarabune). They carry various magical items such as an invisible hat, rolls of brocade, an inexhaustible purse, a lucky rain hat, robes of feathers, keys to the divine treasure house and important books and scrolls.

One of the Shichi Fukujin, the seven Japanese Shinto-gods of luck. Hotei ("cloth bag") is the god of happiness and laughter and the wisdom of being content. He is the patron of the weak and the children. Hotei is depicted as a very fat man with a big belly (a symbol of happiness, luck and generosity), carrying a huge linen bag containing precious things, including children, on his back. He may sit in an old cart drawn by boys, as the Wagon Priest. He can be compared with the Buddhistic Mi-lo-Fo.

The Story Behind the kanji Warao (Laughter) By Artist Kazu Mori
Deriving from various calligraphic and historical models, kanji are essentially Chinese orthography characters (hanzi) used to write Japanese in forms referred to as logograms, idiographs, or indicatives. Because of the way they have been adopted into Japanese, a single kanji may be used to write one or more different words (or, in some cases, morphemes). From the point of view of the reader, kanji are said to have one or more different "readings". Deciding which reading is meant depends on context, intended meaning, use in compounds, and even location in the sentence. Some common kanji have ten or more possible readings.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Kazu Mori is an interior designer and calligraphy artist living Komatsu in western Japan. His calligraphy graces a wide variety of objects in Japan - signs, menus, wall hangings, cups, clothing, and more. He also does calligraphy as performance art, drawing characters of thanks, hope, peace, and laughter on very large rolls of paper held up on a stage or at a festival. He has done shows not only locally but in the UK, France, China, and elsewhere.

Kazu Mori

This kanji, “Warao” was commissioned as a poster for a performance by the Osugi Musical Theatre (OMT), Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan.

Because of a long-standing friendship founded on love of music, art, laughter, happiness and peace, the kanji has been made available to World Laughter Tour, to use for special recognitions and for raising financial support for the artist and OMT.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW FOR ONLY $21.00 + s/h

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Intuitive Logic

Helen Marie Szollosy is a Certified Laughter Leader who continues to amuse, amaze, and inspire us. Helen channels her life experiences and intuition into grand products like the video she recently sent me. She touches so many lives with laughter. *

Helen, writes: “I thought you might enjoy this healthy, healing positive mantra video I made this evening. Sit, feel, heal, face, replace - relax - be grateful and thankful- and generate happy cells!”

I am putting the link to this video on my desktop to keep it handy. What a great way to start the day.

What is the source of Helen’s prolific output?
I am sure there are many personal sources for her, as there are for any of us; she has shared some of hers with us.

But, there are two energy or motivational sources in particular, that I think those of us in the field have in common: I call them a Hippocratic inclination and intuitive logic.

We sensed that it would not be harmful if we could get others to try a few things like making the effort to look for the lighter side of situations, or infusing a workplace, classroom or sickroom with humor.

We sensed that it would not be harmful and that there was logic to the idea that positive outcomes were likely.

We were not drawn to working with humor and laughter because of being comedians, nor because we were overwhelmed with evidence. In the early days, there was little or no evidence. But several theories abounded.  In fact, many of us got started because of a rather ephemeral affinity for laughter and humor.

Norman Cousins supposedly humored himself well from a painful and perhaps nearly fatal illness that had no known medical cure. He wrote about his experience. While single case studies are often where science begins, it is hardly considered solid evidence. Yet, it became foundational to a movement for applied and therapeutic humor and laughter.

My Grandmother's Hippocratic Oath
My maternal grandmother emigrated to United States from Vienna, as a teenager, around 1900. She came with a kind of Hippocratic do-no-harm mentality. You could hear it in the kindly tone of voice she used when she recommended an enema for every ailment. In broken English, with a strong Austrian accent, she would  persuasively note about her prescription, "It vouldn't hurt!"

And, those of us drawn to work with humor and laughter had an intuitive logic about the topic. Without demanding hard-boiled scientific evidence, we somehow "knew" that laughter and humor are good for us. The Western world is fraught with deep cultural ambivalence towards humor: it loved, hated, and feared. Admonishments to grow up, get serious, quit fooling around, and dedicate ourselves to hard work, are probably rooted in Puritanical religious ethos.

But some of us "knew" that human beings need large doses of laughter and humor. And, we were willing to encourage others to try it.

In the courses I designed about applied and therapeutic humor & laughter, we have never claimed that what we encourage others to try will cure anything. But "try this" is an invitation to perform an personal experiment, to see what happens. Do you like the results, or shall we try something else?

You Become A Medical Experiment
My doctors, with all of their training, do exactly the same thing. They examine, diagnose and prescribe. With each prescription comes "Try this." You become a science experiment with your own health and well-being. The doctor does not guarantee a cure. In fact, if the prescription does not work, you do not get your back. That is not the contract.

Following this logic, I created an ethical foundation for Certified Laughter Leaders conducting therapeutic laughter sessions, during which they encourage participants to try various practices. The "contract" is not the promise of a cure.

The contract is the promise to do one's best, to be up to date on the evidence, to do no harm, and to continue to help search for whatever might have a positive effect on health and well-being.

Sustaining Motivation
We turned two energy sources --do-no-harm and intuitive logic-- into action. And, now, in some important ways, the best scientific evidence is coming in, proving that we were right.

It has been my great joy for many years to be associated with thousands of colleagues who are similarly motivated: to keep the world from spinning totally out of control, to offer pathways to a little bit better balance, to happiness; to encourage others to make humor and laughter therapeutic allies.

* To learn more about Helen:
HA HA Helen Marie Szollosy, O.S.E. (Outlook Shift Engineer!)
Gold Member: A.A.T.H. (Assoc. for Applied & Therapeutic Humor)
Speaker, Singer, Certified Laughter Wellness Program Facilitator, WLT
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.LAFOLOT.com
facebook:  LAFOLOT
You Tube: HELENOFLAFOLOT]
Mechanicsburg PA
HELENOFLAFOLOT@YAHOO.COM

 

Happiness Comes to Laughter's Gate

Shaken (and Stirred) To My Roots
Within 24 hours this week two of my most important world's intersected in a fusion of zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. Thinking about it has just about blown my mind, opened my heart, and filled me with gratitude and joy.

Our 12-year old granddaughter, Libby, is doing a school assignment that requires her to interview her grandparents and learn something about their lives as children and what they have learned. I found myself getting deeply introspective. As I answered her queries, what came into focus sharper than ever, is my fascination with laughter as a significant path to understanding happiness and promoting love & peace.

Two of my favorite cousins and my Pop-Pop c.1950

Within a day of starting that interview process, I had e-mail from Gart Westerhout in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan. He sent me the Japanese translation of Good-Hearted Living(tm), which he and local volunteers had been working on for a year.

The Legendary Birds of Peace Laughter Session
The first laughter therapy club demonstration in the United States took place during the Spring of 1999, in Washington DC.

It happened that I was searching the Internet for any information about laughter, and I found Gart Westerhout. It was only the 3rd year of the Internet but Gart was searching, too.

Gart is the English-speaking director of a community theater group based in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan.

They put on original musicals at home and abroad, as well as producing school shows. When they were accepted to perform their show “Birds of Peace” at the Smithsonian, Pam and I were invited to see the performance, then have an American pizza party, followed by a laughter club demo out on the mall between the Washington and Lincoln Memorials. It was a real “first”!


The cast and crew were all volunteers from Komatsu, amateur actors; spoke no English. It did not matter. We overcame language barriers with laughter, pizza, signs, gestures, and my yo-yo tricks. It was a magical memorable afternoon. If you have visited our home, you have seen the large ceramic “lucky” frog which graces our home. They brought it to us as a gift of a friendship which remains to this day.

Click here to see a short piece from the finale of their recent production all about laughter.
The translation of one the most repeated line they are singing is: "Happiness comes to the laughing gate," or "Good fortune comes to those who laugh."

For this production a hand-painted poster, using an ancient technique called “kanji”, was commissioned to a local artist, Kazu Mori. It is titled Warao, meaning Laughter.

The kanji "Warao"

The artist has graciously given us exclusive permission to reproduce this beautiful, uniquely appropriate print, suitable for framing. It will soon be available for sale through World Laughter Tour, with a portion of proceeds going back to Kazu and the Osugi Musical Theatre.

I hope you enjoy the video. I found it very touching and hopeful for the future. I will let you know when and how to get your own print of the kanji Warao.

I am ecstatic over Gart's enthusiastic response to the idea that we will develop a series of live Internet exchanges between World Laughter Tour Certified Laughter Leaders and the children and other citizens of Komatsu. And, we will be sending a Laughter Ambassador to Komatsu.

Reaching halfway around the world to each other, Gart and I are doing our happy dance together.

Green Eggs and LAM

"There isn't a lot of fun in medicine,
but there's a whole lot of medicine in fun." Josh Billings

Thanks to Catherine Lawrence, Toronto, Canada, here is a terrific example of laughter and humor being allies for a very worthy cause. And, a wonderful opportunity for you to get involved with people who are Laughing Out LAM on May 3rd across the globe.

A Certified Laughter Leader for 11 years, Catherine is a pioneer in the field of applied laughter practices, and Trailblazer with World Laughter Tour.

WHAT IS GREEN EGGS & LAM?
Green Eggs & LAM began as a grassroots organization based in Toronto, Canada, founded to raise awareness and funds to support ongoing dialogue, ground breaking research, treatment and, with hope, a cure for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (or "LAM" for short), a rare and devastating lung disease affecting women and girls worldwide. Since 2007, Green Eggs and LAM has successfully raised significant funds and increased awareness of this little-known disease. One hundred percent of every dollar raised is directly donated to fully engage and pillar brilliant and dedicated scientific minds towards saving the lives of the thousands of women and girls diagnosed with LAM but will inform and impact lung cancer, lung-related illnesses and other diseases.

Spearheaded by Founder and LAM patient, Catherine Lawrence and championed by a remarkable and diverse team of business professionals, Green Eggs and LAM proudly designs their fundraising efforts in unique and creative ways. Inspired by Catherine's commitment and expertise in the power of laughter to heal, Green Eggs and LAM works to inspire joy in the face of adversity while encouraging patrons to engage and support cutting edge research.


This is our point of difference at Green Eggs and LAM - to coordinate a clear and powerful effort to support LAM research but to focus our energy also in the joy and power of laughter in the face of adversity. We work hard and we love to have fun and encourage you to do the same!


LOL: LAUGH OUT LAM (MAY 3, 2012) On May 3rd, 2012, Green Eggs and LAM will host an evening of comedy in Toronto, Canada, with brilliant and internationally acclaimed comedian Caroline Rhea and friends. LOL: Laugh Out LAM!, is chaired by Global TV's Leslie Roberts and community philanthropist Theresa Mersky.


WHERE DO THE FUNDS GO?
Funds raised by Green Eggs and LAM are used to support LAM iPS stem cell research led by Dr. William L. Stanford, Ph.D., in partnership with the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine.

Read all of the details as well as brilliantly fun ideas for participating in any one of many special events.

World Laughter Tour supports Green Eggs & LAM
through the sale of LOL fun bling jewelery.

A portion of all sales of our sparkly rhinestone LOL pin/decor
between now and May 3, 2012,
goes to support Green Eggs & LAM.

A feel-good message will twinkle and shine with this beautiful glittery rhinestone pin.
A very attractive attention-getter & conversation starter.
Comes with both a saftey lock pin and small eyelet so it can hung from a chain.
A great gift!
LOL is ½” x 1.25”
US$8.00 + s/h
CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW

Up, Up, and Away: The Evolution of Laughter Practitioners

The Roots and the Evolution & Growth of the World Laughter Tour's Practitioners

The First Certified Laughter Leaders (July 2000)

Proposition: Life is a psycho-social game.
     Corollary: If you don’t play the social part right, you will go ‘psycho’.

Proposition: Laughter is one of the universal attributes of human beings.
     Corollary: It gives us a clue to universal laws for playing the game and not going ‘psycho’.

Proposition: Improving psychosocial working conditions and educating workers on stress-coping mechanisms is beneficial for the physical and mental health of workers.
     Corollary: The benefits include increased productivity among workers, reduction in absenteeism and employee turnover in addition to other costs borne by employers.

Proposition: The human brain is wired for laughter.
     Corollary: The human brain can be rewired.

Proposition: Laughter is vitally and critically important to the successful game of life. A life without laughter is dreadful.
     Corollary: A dreadful life is likely to be void of laughter.

Proposition: An adequate amount of laughter makes life worth living.
     Corollary: A life worth living generates laughter.


What’s In A Name?

It's Official!

When I first saw people intentionally coming together in groups for laughing to improve health and well-being sans traditional humor (jokes and comedy), the leaders were called anchor persons. That was 1998, in Mumbai.

When I tried to apply the concept the following year in he United States, modeled on Activity Therapy well-known in the Western world, it proved to be a fascinating complement to the burgeoning field of applied and therapeutic humor but the title anchor person was not well received.


In the USA, Laughter Leader was a more acceptable title. I could see that the so-called expert model prevalent in the Western World --and my desire that this new field overcome years of resistance from the established health & human services communities-- dictated that Laughter Leaders should be certified. Hence: the evolution of the title Certified Laughter Leader.

It worked. As acceptance and respect grew, doors opened, and by now, probably millions of lives have been touched by laughter.


Now, with new evidence leading to improvements in techniques streaming in every week, the next logical iteration of titles within World Laughter Tour, will include the word Practitioner.

It’s A Neuro-Psycho-Social Thing

Reflect on the Connection

The neurological substrates that control smiling and laughing are mature at birth in all healthy human beings. Evidence for this is the fact that, even though they have never seen or heard laughter, people who are born blind and deaf will eventually laugh and smile.

In some cultures, the primal --first-- laughter of an infant is cause for joyous celebration because the community knows that it signals good health and a healthy environment.

Laughter is often referred to as a universal language because you can go anywhere in the world, and even if you do not speak their language, when you display genuine smiling and laughter, everybody knows what it means.

Dr. Robert Provine estimates that only 10% of the laughter in a lifetime is the result of jokes and comedy. Ninety percent of the laughter in a lifetime is the result of social interaction. This is an important clue to the social part of the psycho-social game of life.

We Need to Become and Create Social Support Providers
Through workplace studies, researchers have identified a cohort of individuals as social support providers.  

Studies show:
·       Low social support is as damaging as high blood pressure.
·       Social support is the greatest predictor of happiness during periods of high stress.
·       Social support providers are not only 10 times more likely to be engaged at work than those who kept to themselves.
·       Social support providers are 40% more likely to get a promotion.
·       Social support providers are happier (thriving and learning).
·       Happy employees have, on average, 31% higher productivity; their sales are 37% higher, their creativity is three times higher.

Roots and the Evolutionary Growth of Laughter Practitioners Initially, The World Laughter Tour, which I established in 1998, was built on the popular notion that there was healing power in humor and fun. Josh Billings had said, "There is not a whole lot of fun in medicine but there is a whole lot of medicine in fun." Norman Cousins’ near-miraculous recovery and subsequent scientific evidence lent credence to the idea.

It seemed reasonable and worthwhile to build on that idea to promote the development of “the sense of humor” for success in business, healthcare, and education.

I know now that showing people how they could develop a sense of humor was actually showing them techniques for rewiring their brains.

A closer look at the evolving scientific evidence led to the unmistakable conclusions that (1) for important reasons, laughter could and should be separated from humor; (2) the physiology, psychology, and neurology of the physical act of laughing was much easier --and more reliable-- to measure than humor; (3) the emotional state of true mirth as a possible pre-condition of the benefits of laughter and humor, had to be given serious consideration.

I am ever grateful to my friend and mentor, Dr. William Fry, Jr., for his many contributions to the science of laughter, perhaps especially for the essential concept of true mirthful laughter.

Although it was initially --and still is- touted by some as a yogic phenomenon, the group laughing activity that emerged from India in the form of the Laughter Club, was another clue to the social condition for laughing.

I have been able to train more than 6,000 practitioners of laughter therapy. Many of them are health & human services professionals, educators, and business people. Their more than 15,000 anecdotal reports, archived by World Laughter Tour, do not attain the status of peer-reviewed, double-blind studies, but anecdotes and case studies are the beginnings of science.

The anecdotal reports are unanimous: group laughter results in at least short term improvements in subjective feelings of well-being. Scientific studies now give evidence of why this would be true for laughter as well as for humor, such as adding the viewing of funny TV programs to standard cardiac rehabilitation routines.

Early on, I realized that group laughter sessions alone would not be enough to adequately rewire the brain for a healthier, happier lifestyle. There needed to be a rewiring in terms of the kinds of attitudes and activities that give rise to not only laughter but more positive thoughts, more positive feelings, and more positive interactions.

Rewiring requires practices that individuals can do on their own, repeatedly, both privately and in social situations.

Understanding this need gave rise to my creation of a program called Good-Hearted-Living™, which rewires the brain for more gratitude, flexibility, altruism, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and guilt-free pleasure.

Based on research from Positive Psychology, we are now amplifying our training of laughter therapy practitioners to include a range and variety of Positive Activity Interventions (PAIs). Improvements in our methods amplify social connectedness.

Originally, it was thought that benefits primarily derived from laughter’s triggering of an endorphin release, but the advent of neurologic technology is giving us insight into connections between certain activities and attitudes and actions in the brain related to dopamine, the pleasure centers, and much more.

Practitioners will use Positive Activity Interventions (PAIs) to produce many beneficial effects. PAIs will include music, novel movement, gratitude, meditation, visual imagery, affirmations, non-competitive games, humor, and of course, true mirthful laughter.

(Used with permission.)

Onward & Upward

"The deeper you go, the higher you fly." ~George Harrison

Laughter was just the tip of the iceberg. We are now eagerly drilling deeper and wider and finding more of the rich resources that foster laughter, accompany laughter, and are produce in association with laughter.

Recently (2011) Ruth M. Buczynski, PhD, President and Licensed Psychologist, The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine, contends that rewiring the brain can lead to such benefits as:

·       New hope for kids with learning disabilities
·       Freedom from harmful habits and ruts that ensnare patients
·       Innovative (and effective) ways to treat depression, anxiety, and OCD
·       Helpful insights for arguing couples who keep hitting all the same explosive triggers
·       New understanding in how to work with patients who have PTSD

Is it any wonder that I continue to embrace laughter? Breathlessly, I know that there is so much more to come.

Please forward this blog to those who will find the information and ideas useful or interesting.

I would love to hear your thoughts on these matters. Please add your comments below..