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 certainly 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, irritation rise up automatically, and it takes some time and a loftier perspective to see that a laugh, 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, especially in a stressful situation.

A good sense of humor is a sign of psychological health. Along with gratitude, hope and spirituality, a sense of humor belongs to the set of strengths positive psychologists call transcendence; together they help us forge connections to the world and provide meaning to life.

We all must have seen many people who are usually focusing on the darker side of things and carry a very pessimistic approach. The stereotype of "old and grumpy" serves no one.

William Arthur Ward, 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. Proverbs tells us that “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”

One more adage by W.E. Nesom: If laughter be an aid to health | Then logic of the strongest | Impels us to the cheerful thought | That he who laughs lasts longest.

I’m learning that the best laugh often comes from laughing at myself.


Connie Mason Michaelis is a lifestyle consultant who is on Facebook at Just Now Old Enough.