It’s been said that the average child laughs 300 times a day and the average adult laughs 15 times a day. I don’t know how authoritative this statistic is, since I see it quoted often but never with a source. However, it really doesn’t take a Harvard study to prove that children laugh more times a day than adults. Hanging out with both for a while confirms this.
Solomon was right on target when he said, “A merry heart does good, like medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22) Laughter has been shown to have many health benefits, from reducing food cravings to increasing one’s threshold for pain. It relieves stress and anxiety and improves your sleep. A good laugh really is good medicine.
There’s also a social component to laughter; it brings people together. C.S. Lewis once said, “There’s no sound I like better than adult male laughter.” That’s because there’s nothing better than friends and family coming together to celebrate life and enjoy one another’s company.
When you’re alone and when you’re with friends and family, I encourage you to invest some time in laughter each and every day. You’ll find that what Milton Berle said is true: “Laughter is an instant vacation.”
