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my laugh from a flimsy perfunctory courtesy laugh into something enjoyable Now laugh |
spontaneously heartily resolutely and much more frequently find laughing tremendously |
gratifying and things that were barely amusing to me before are now hilarious |
believe that laughing evolved to help humans let off steam It may have allowed instances |
of camaraderie and social bonding to influence an individuals life strategy to place less value |
on the adaptive aspects of trauma In other words the more conducive your environment is to |
laughing the more your body assumes that your environment is a good one and that it is safe |
to be optimistic A real laugh was probably designed by evolution to help us attain a fullrange |
hard contraction of the diaphragm As with panthooting Exercise this contraction |
relieves the diaphragm of the partial contraction caused by stress and shallow breathing |
The more you rehabilitate your laugh the more you increase your diaphragms potential |
for providing you with endorphins Remember that endorphins are most reliably produced by |
grooming singing laughing and play These are addressed in Chapter Chapter this |
section and the next section respectively |
Some people with relatively calm nasopharynxes can clear their nasopharynx in the same |
way others clear their throats It is like snorting except it involves breathing out rather than |
breathing in Some people call it a nose laugh see it as a dominance signal conveying that the |
persons nasopharynx is not tense When my nasopharynx was tense was incapable of |
doing it Once you have compressed your nasopharynx using the exercises in Chapter |
you can build the coordination to perform this empowering laugh |
Some people use this signal to laugh at something they find inferior like rolling the eyes |
Please dont use it derisively or to ridicule people Instead use it as a heartfelt laugh to |
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body |
communicate that you are enjoying absurdity People usually find it exciting and it makes them |
want to laugh along with you |
Happiness Exercise Laugh through the Nasopharynx |
Use a brief to seconds but powerful exhalation to force air out through your |
nasopharynx with the mouth closed This snort is similar to a scoff or chortle It sometimes |
arises when you try to withhold laughter First practice doing it in small short bursts to |
develop the proper coordination so that you can build up to doing it in a prolonged way |
With practice you will be able to hold convincing threesecond nose laughs It is a convivial |
way to express amusement that improves quickly with practice |
Be Playful |
We dont stop playing because we grow old we grow old because we stop playing George Bernard Shaw |
Play like laughter is a form of medicine but certain conditions must be met for it to be |
genuine All stressors anger fear pain hunger and separation reduce play Animals must be |
well fed comfortable and healthy for play to take place When these conditions are met rats |
and mice chase and pounce wrestle pin nip poke and knock each other over This is the kind |
of play that generates highfrequency laughterlike chirps at kHz Physical roughandtumble |
play is the most fun of all At one point thought all aggressive acts were unpleasant but |
judging from play in other mammals feigned aggression can be joyous |
It is important to note that when mammals play rapid role reversal is a defining element |
In other words they know it is friendly when everyone gets a chance to be on top Knowledge |
of this should influence us to pass being dominant back and forth with our friends The rat that |
ends up on top more often during pins becomes dominant The continuation of play |
necessitates a willingness on the part of the winner to selfhandicap Dominant rats that go |
easy on others always have playmates but those that bully are ignored when they try to solicit |
play Play helps animals determine who to avoid and with whom they can develop cooperative |
relationships They learn to dominate but also accept defeat without being defeated |
Dominant animals would rather play but aggressive animals would rather fight Rats |
involved in a fight bite each other and box This can lead to injury They stand on their hind legs |
and strike each other with their front paws When they do this the kHz laughter turns into |
kHz complaints This is similar to chimpanzees among whom play is accompanied by |
wrestling panting and a play face whereas fighting involves boxing tearing scratching biting |
and barking |
Chapter Finding Happiness Through Playfulness Composed Kindness |
Ilustration Animals playing |
Rather than being based around wrestling human play focuses on verbal interchange and |
banter Repartee involves provocation rejoinders biting commentary and if friendly laughter |
As in other mammals this form of verbal jousting can engender friendship respect and |
cooperation It can be made more fun with the use of bombastic quarreling absurd |
braggadocio frivolous histrionics grandiose pretentiousness and ostentatious balderdash |
When you do it be spunky employ exuberance and enjoy it You dont have to act excitable to |
be sparkling and bubbly you just need to be playful Usually if you manage to entertain |
yourself others will be entertained as well |
Remember to be like the mice during play and allow others their opportunity to be on top |
lest you risk losing playmates This includes giving others equal chance to talk and refraining |
from dominating conversations A dog initiates play by crouching A monkey initiates it by |
exposing its rear end Both of these actions involve selfdiminishment and vulnerability |
Showing others that you dont take yourself too seriously or exposing a vulnerability can make |
them want to play with you After experimenting with this for years now have concluded that |
you can be as vulnerable and nice as you can and as long as you are playful it wont be |
mistaken for weakness |
Play ranks among the most beneficial neuroplastic interventions Placing rodents into |
enriched environments where they can socialize wrestle and play with others results in |
heavier brains and higher levels of dopamine endorphins and serotonin Studies have found |
that rats deprived of play are more fearful and aggressive toward other rats Encouraging |
playfulness in animals is one of the few behavioral interventions known to reverse anxiety and |
depressive symptoms This is probably because it allows them to shift from the threat |
response to the challenge response |
Social play involves creativity and requires that we learn to approach others in diverting |
and lively ways Imagination and fantasy can also facilitate play My favorite way to play with |
people is to make up imaginary scenarios What would you do if am animated |
shameless and immature when doing this My scenarios include helicopters ninjas dinosaurs |
and hats with pinwheels on top of them When other people do this recognize it as play |
participate and egg them on by laughing with them Whenever someone uses an analogy or |
poetic license to describe a situation help them flesh it out until you have created a whimsical |
comical cartoon world Feel at home with wordplay punning nonsense and silliness |
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body |
Ask outrageous questions set up outlandish hypotheticals and feel comfortable acting like |
a kid If you have genuine heartfelt fun they will too so entertain yourself and your sense of |
humor first |
Reawaken Your Play Face |
A simple openmouthed expression in primates called the playface communicates that play |
is either underway or about to begin It often accompanies primate laughter The jaw is wide |
open and sometimes the corners of the mouth are slightly drawn back Unlike the primate |
sneer or grin the expression is relaxed and the teeth are usually covered completely All apes |
as well as macaques patas vervets and rhesus monkeys use the playface Common during |
play sessions in juveniles it is also an adult expression It is used to enlist others to play and is |
accompanied by a jaunty sprightly air The display is usually reciprocated immediately It is often |
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