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Can I Make Myself Laugh?

Laughing is partly psychological and partly physiological. It’s possible to make ourselves laugh simply by thinking of something humorous.

A common source of laughter is as a reflex reaction to tickling. The tickle response is involuntary. A great deal of effort is required to control it. But why can’t we induce laughter by tickling ourselves? Nerve endings which are just below the skin’s surface are sensitive to touch. They’re especially concentrated on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet. But they can’t be self stimulated.

The laughter from tickling requires an aspect of anxiety. If we try to tickle ourselves we know that we’re in complete control and that we can stop the stimulation at any moment. Tickling ourselves, therefore, eliminates the anxiety which is an essential component.

The tickle response is ambivalent. The first response to tickling is usually pleasure. But if the delight is mingled with too much fear and anxiety, the laughter stops. We don’t laugh if we are tickled so aggressively that we sense some real danger. So there is actually little risk of being tickled to death.

There’s a fine line between pain and pleasure; between what makes us laugh or cry. But whatever the cause, laughter is very good medicine. It sets off beneficial chemical reactions in the brain and the body.

So next time you laugh, remember that like an apple a day, it may keep the doctor away.

It’s interesting to note that a little anxiety is necessary for us to be able to enjoy a tickling touch. When they were young, my children would often ask me to tickle them at bed-time. They thought it was great fun because they were never sure where I’d tickle them, but they always knew I would stop when they asked.

Too much anxiety, though, takes the fun out of tickling and the fun out of life. Being anxious drains us of emotional and physical energy. Anxiety is always tied to our lack of knowledge about the future. It’s about the bad things that we anticipate happening.

Often, the anxious anticipation is worse than the thing we fear itself. For many of us, visiting the dentist falls into that category, or waiting for a diagnosis from the doctor. It’s often easier to bear the bad news itself than to bear waiting for it.

In extreme cases, anxiety can overwhelm a person, leaving them unable to cope with life. These situations need professional intervention, often employing the use of drugs for a period of time.

Perhaps the single biggest issue that makes people anxious is the one thing none of us can avoid. As much as we can, we do the next best thing and avoid thinking about it, but sooner or later we are confronted with it. Death presents the biggest personal question we all have to face. Compared to “What happens when I die?” other questions like “When did the universe begin?” or “What will happen to the earth when the sun starts to cool down significantly?” are non-starters.

To relieve our anxiety about death, the Bible gives us a clear picture of what awaits us. In fact, it lays out several options because not everyone takes God seriously. But for those that do, and respond appropriately, the anxiety surrounding death is all but eliminated. No one looks forward to the process of dying, but death itself is no longer the dreaded enemy because it has been defeated.

God invites His human creation to enter into spiritual life which transcends physical death and takes us into a glorious future.

David Humphreys and Ron Hughes