Proverbs 17:22 Amplified: A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 31:25 NIV: She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come.

 I have mentioned before that I’ve read the book “Deadly Emotions,” by Dr. Don Colbert.  I must say once again, I cannot recommend this book highly enough!  An area that Dr. Colbert deals with is laughter.  He cites research that clearly shows the benefits of “lugotherapy,” or laughter therapy!  Whenever a person deeply laughs, it does something similar to aerobic exercise in the body, somewhat like “internal jogging.”  Laughter can raise the “good feeling” hormones in your body dramatically, while it decreases the stress hormones. 

 So why aren’t we laughing?  It’s probably not the fact that nothing seems funny.  It’s more likely related to the absence of joy.  The average child laughs 400 times a day.  The average adult….well, you guessed it.  We just laugh 25 times a day! And for a serious personality like me, maybe that’s pushing it!  I hear so much laughter in my house that I should be able to join right in! 

 The first scripture above states that a happy heart and cheerful mind works healing inside of us!  Dr. Colbert confirms this as well, stating many cases in which he has actually prescribed “laughter doses” daily.  He has seen this improve their health.  It’s no surprise that God’s Word rings true.  Laughter is a release.  It stems from the joy of knowing who you are, and Whose you are!  It is a result of God’s strength inside of us, a picture of the joy of our salvation.  Does it mean that everything looks rosy? No, it just shows that we know Someone more able than us is in charge!