The Value of a Sense of Humor

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis

Mary Pettibone Poole wrote a clever rendition of an older expression, “He who laughs last, laughs best.” and simply said, “He who laughs, lasts.”  If we could only laugh more, our lives would be enhanced. Henry Ward Beecher said, “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” Intuitively, we know that laughter is one of our best tools to deal with stress, but it is typically not the first remedy that comes to the surface. Anger, frustration, and irritation rise up automatically, and it takes some time and a loftier perspective to see that a laugh, a chuckle, or just a smile may neutralize our concern. Scientists tell us that the lizard or primitive brain is our basic fight-or-flight response mechanism. Its purpose is to save us in life-threatening situations. But our higher brain, some call it the wizard brain, involves cognitive thought processes such as empathy, reflection, and understanding. I would wager that laughter is part of the wizard brain.

A good sense of humor is a sign of psychological health. Along with gratitude, hope, and spirituality, they help us forge connections to the world and provide meaning to life. We all must have seen many people who usually focus on the darker side of things and carry a very pessimistic approach. William Arthur Ward, the author of Fountains of Faith, said, “A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.” As we age, a sense of humor is even more important. Humor is the best medication we can put in our pillbox.

“If laughter be an aid to health

Then logic of the strongest

Impels us to the cheerful thought

That he who laughs lasts longest.”  W.E. Nesom