An ancient Jewish proverb asserts, “As soap is to the body, so laughter is to the soul.”
As we anticipate the start of a new year after an old one fraught with dysfunction, this provides us grist for a crucial resolution: to make time for laughter.
The soap analogy is particularly fitting for our time, when often, after hearing news of the day, one yearns for a cleansing shower.
For relief, Lord Byron noted succinctly: “Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”
And medicine it truly is, according to HelpGuide.org, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting emotional well-being.
A posting there asserts that laughter “strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.”
HelpGuide advises, “Don’t go a day without laughing. Think of it like exercise…and make a conscious effort to find something each day that makes you laugh. Set aside 10 to 15 minutes and do something that amuses you. The more you get used to laughing each day, the less effort you’ll have to make.”
That may be a tall order for some of us, depending on the personal burdens we carry and worries over the future of our fragile republic.
But humor as tonic has long been recognized. Reader’s Digest has kept it alive for decades with its feature of jokes and anecdotes under the title, “Laughter, the Best Medicine.”
Wise minds have long touted the benefits of laughter, but the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took it to the highest level when he observed, “It is cheerful to God when you rejoice or laugh from the bottom of your heart.”
The late comedian Bob Hope, who knew a thing or two about it, noted, “I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something, bearable, even hopeful.”
Author Fyodor Dostoyevsky went so far as to say laughter is a gauge of human character:
“If you wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know someone, don’t bother analyzing his ways… you will get better results if you just watch him laugh. If he laughs well, he’s a good person.”
Actress Audrey Hepburn believed that “Laughter is and always will be the best form of therapy.”
The HelpGuide folks agree, asserting, “Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner.”
There’s more power in laughter than one might think. MIT philosophy professor Kieran Setiya observes: “Dictators aren’t defeated by laughter, but comedy consoles, educates, and creates a sense of solidarity that can destabilize the prevailing order.”
Mark Twain went further when he declared, “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.”
The journalist and commentator Linda Ellerbee sees fortitude in laughter, observing that it “may be a form of courage. As humans we sometimes stand tall and look into the sun and laugh, and I think we are never more brave than when we do that.”
Bravery is a quality we’ll need as the sun soon rises on a brand-new year and all it portends in these unpredictable times.
So, yes, let’s make time each day for a hearty, medicinal, and strengthening laugh, accepting the declaration of author Jean Houston:
“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.”
Gerry Goldstein (gerryg76@verizon.net), a frequent contributor, is a retired Providence Journal editor and columnist.