Smiling And Laughing

One of the most adoring gifts by the Almighty to the human race is SMILING and LAUGHING.

GOD has been generous in supplying this commodity to each and every individual irrespective of sex, age, region, health and financial status and every one of us is able to produce smile or laugh under any circumstances. Even to day the researchers are making deeper studies to fathom out the mystery behind producing a good laugh or smile which has become the exclusive privilege for human. The therapeutic effect of this strange emotional expression in curing varieties of ailments is being proved convincingly and even the science of YOGA has recommended it centuries back.

With in a few days of its birth a newly born infant is able to smile being its first expression to the world, saying “I am ready to interact”. That is the body language with which universal communication is possible even amongst deaf and dumb.

If human life didn’t have laughing, that would be boring and that is what makes life fun. If you can’t laugh, there is something wrong. You have got to let it out when you feel like making a hearty laugh as it is a kind of release and an expression of an emotion. It takes a little bit of humility when you can laugh yourself. Certain occasions you are provoked to laugh unmindful of the seriousness of the occasion.

There was a tragedy when an old man had lost his son in the army while he was fighting the enemy and the last rituals were going on in the traditional army fashion. His grand daughter who was only 3 years old at that time and standing just behind him remarked jovially that grand father was not having single hair on his head. The gathering including that old man had to control their laughter with great effort. Man is also provoked to laugh at people who are in trouble-not so seriously- like slipping over a banana, losing the umbrella in the heavy wind, ill dressed etc. it is very difficult for those victims to control their irritation-but a very few people are also able to laugh along with the others.

There is so much sadness in the world; it is a wonder you can laugh at all. Laughing is actually an enjoyment and also contagious as the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others with out actually knowing the cause. Due to brain damage some unfortunate people in the society produce inappropriate laugh which should be viewed sympathetically. Some times we here comments like don’t be a “laughing stock”. It implies that don’t indulge in doing nonsensical activities there by society is amused by your antics. Some times people also fake laughing when they couldn’t not understand that joke for which majority are laughing.

We also fake it just to get the good impression of individuals who are to be pleased and buttered. It is also used as weapon of mockery by over doing it. Just to prove their versatility in acting there are new comers in acting who will demonstrate varieties of laughter with different sounds and modulation, like a villain in front of a famous director. We have seen specimens where attempt is made to laugh and swallow it with out producing any sound. Some peoples’ laugh will be with unbearable sound that you are waiting when they are going to stop. When the dose of comedy is to the extreme you tend to shed tears and if you are a weak man there is every chance of pulling some muscle.

On extreme tragedy we tend to laugh off the crisis with the tinge of sarcastic. There are instances in the history that great natural humorists had cut jokes even at the time of dying. There are certain jokes that you could enjoy it again and again in spite of its repetition. Actually not only the dialogues but also the body language of the artists provoke laughter and if the rendering of the words and phrase are well timed the joke takes the maximum effect. There are certain individuals who are gifted naturally to cut jokes with least effort. It requires a high degree of intelligence and also human psychology to be a master joker. But getting jokes out of the miseries of others or by wounding the feelings of a section of the people is only in bad taste and must be avoided at all costs. It should also cater all age groups and both sex, and special effort must be done to entertain children. Vulgar jokes make the artist unpopular during the course of time and makes it impossible for him to try a come back.

Many times we make simple smile within ourselves when we are alone, recollecting happy thoughts or incidences. A smile with out exhibiting the teeth is made to greet or put the silent question of “how do you do?” We get this smile as a welcome sign from a shop keeper, at the customer care centre, or at the marriage reception. A politician at the time of seeking votes, a film artist at the public gathering makes this with a broader smile, with folded hands giving utterly a false impression that they are happier, more confident, warm and approachable. We also many a time come across contemptuous smile as a sign of hatred of aversion.

A smiling person is judged to be more pleasant, attractive, sincere, sociable and competent than a no smiling person. A smile is a universal expression of happiness and recognized as such by all cultures. After reading I will be only too happy to if you don’t indulge in laughing at me but only extend all your smiles in absentia as a token of appreciation.

Article by: J. PANCHAPAGESAN DSP-RETD, CHENNAI