Norman Cousins suffered from a degenerative illness called ankylosing spondylitis in the 1960’s and used laughter as a way of managing his pain and boosting his health. He went on to write up his findings in ‘Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient’ (W.W.Norton, 1979)
Did you Know
At ages 5 and 6 we tend to see the most exuberant laughs which are often associated with playing. So let’s get playing more!
There is a national group of individuals working with laughter across the UK. Look at www.laughternetwork.co.uk for more details of laughter events and people across the country.
The doctor who invented Laughter Yoga was Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995 in Mumbai, India. He started the first Laughter Club in his home town and now there are over 6,000 Laughter Clubs worldwide! Dr. Kataria was featured on ‘The Apprentice’ BBC 1 series this year laughing with a successful team for one of their treats. You can find more information about Laughter Yoga at www.laughteryoga.org
Did you know the study of Laughter is called Gelotology?
Did you know that the first laughter usually appears at about 3.5 to 4 months of age, long before we are able to speak?
Did you know that on average children laugh 200 to 400 times a day, whereas adults laugh on average only 15 times a day?
You can’t tickle yourself? Try it.....you can’t!
