THE paper. enjoy
"Laughing 'till you cry" by Nathan John Klages.
1st year seminar. The Epistimology of Humor
May 1, 2005
Opposites are thought to be entirely different from each other, and in many ways, they are. The opposite of up is down, joy-sorrow, love-hate, and in this same way, the natural opposite of laughter is thought to be tears. But are these two things really all that different? Laughing and crying, though “opposites”, often serve similar purposes in culture and in the human body alike. In many ways, the two can be used interchangeably to produce similar results, and either can trigger the other very easily. Thus, the interaction between laughter and tears is worth exploring.
What are tears, what is crying, and what is exactly is laughter? Merriam-Webster defines laughing as “showing mirth, joy, or scorn with a smile and chuckle or explosive sound.” Crying is “to shed tears often noisily.” Tears however come in two different types. Irritant tears and are secreted due to irritation of the eye, as in when cutting an onion. Tears of this nature are chemically very different from “emotional” tears, and do not constitute as crying (Orr 16). Laughter consists of a wide range of expression, from a quiet chuckle to an uncontrolled outburst. Interestingly enough, laughing and crying are characterized by similar breathing patterns, and facial expression. For this reason, the face of a person after laughing is often indistinguishable from the face of one who has been crying.
Biologically speaking, there is a great deal of evidence revealing striking similarities between laughing and crying. For example, both have been shown to relieve stress and keep the human body functioning healthily. When a person laughs, blood pressure drops 10-20 points, endorphins are released, and the production of stress hormones is blocked. (Orr 16) As a person cries, tears are expelled that contain several toxins-toxins that are the by-products of stress (Jorgensen 156). In this way, the body uses tears and laughter as a means to rid the body of stress. Thus while the outward processes may be quite different, what is taking place on the inside is quite similar.
In addition to relieving stress, both laughing and crying are pivotal in keeping the body in a healthy state, both physically and mentally. Studies show that laughter works to improve the immune system by increasing the number of natural killer cells in the blood. These killer cells are what protect the body against infection (Bennet 38-45) Because of this, people who laugh more, in theory, are less susceptible to illness than those who do not laugh frequently. This is difficult to measure, however, because there are a variety of outside factors, such as lifestyle and eating habits, both of which contribute to a person’s susceptibility to illness. Laughter also increases lung capacity, and it has been shown that one minute of deep, sustained laughter is as aerobic as 10 minutes on a rowing machine (Orr 16). Crying, then, which is characterized by similar breathing patterns can also have an effect comparable to that of laughter. Both also exercise facial muscles and exercise the diaphragm. As this occurs, other muscles in the body are able to relax, improving the digestion process (Williamson 45). Thus, laughter and tears can be very beneficial to human health.
Working together, laughter and tears also help to keep a person mentally healthy. Each of the two processes are outward expressions of what is taking place on the inside of a person, and therefore serve as therapeutic aids toward emotional expression and inner healing. 80% of doctors believe that laughter is in-fact the best medicine, because it helps to “make one feel better, and therefore might help one recover,” (Williamson 45) Crying too, makes a person feel better, says Lea, age 16. “My friends think I’m strange, but I feel really good when it’s over,” (Orr 13,14) “Both laughter and crying can give you a different viewpoint on things,” adds Kate Posey, therapist, and author of How to Handle Bullies, Teasers, and other Meanies. “They discharge emotions that you are carrying, as can exercising or talking with friends. (Orr 16)
Perhaps what makes crying so powerful is that to cry, one must possess a certain level of security before he/she can cry. The same can be said with regards to full out, out of control laughter. A person who feels secure enough to cry and release his innermost emotions can be the quickest to recover. This is likely to be true because in theory, one who cries often, or laughs a lot is able to release emotions instead of having to bottle them up on the inside-which can lead to emotional issues as well as physical problems. This release, is both metaphoric and literal, as laughter and crying work to release unhealthy toxins in the body, as well as what’s on one’s mind. Is this the cure for physical and mental health problems? No it isn’t. However, being open enough to laugh and to cry can be a good first step, and a sign that a person is ready to seek any help that might be needed to unravel emotional issues.
If laughter and tears are so different from each other, then how is it that a person can laugh until he or she cries? The existence of this occurrence demonstrates the strange co-existence of laughing and crying. Darwin has interesting theories regarding this phenomenon. According to his theory, “whenever the muscles round the eyes are strongly and involuntarily contracted in order to compress the blood vessels and thus protect the eyes, tears are secreted. This occurs under the most opposite emotions, and under no emotion at all,” (Neu 15). With that being said, it becomes quite clear why when a person laughs very hard-this is physically very similar to extreme weeping-he or she can easily begin to shed tears. This is because under both conditions, the breathing patterns, along with the contraction of the facial muscles is doing nearly the same thing. Therefore, it makes much sense that one would shed tears as a result of violent laughter.
The aforementioned theory works well to explain why one might cry during extreme bouts of weeping and laughing, but it does not explain why tears are secreted during relatively calm states of laughing and crying, when a person is not putting much stress on the facial muscles. Of this, Darwin argues that this is often a conditioned response to what was originally strictly a biological mechanism. For example, when a small toddler or other young child experiences grief to a sad event, he or she is likely to weep violently to the point where tears would naturally be secreted in order to protect the eyes. After a few times, because of this natural process, a child would begin to associate sadness with tears. The same would be true involving violent laughter. Soon, a similar association could be developed between laughter and tears. Thus, with this association in place, it would be possible for any sad-laughable-event to trigger the secretion of tears (Darwin 173).
Because laughing and crying fulfill such similar emotional and physical needs, it should be no wonder that both are common substitutes for one another. It is often said that one should laugh instead of crying, and it is not uncommon for a person to cry in moments of immense personal joy and happiness (i.e. weddings). For example, there was once a man whose house burnt down, and had to live out of his car for a few weeks. Then one day, while driving to the store, his car suddenly caught on fire. Then he, as his car was bursting into flames, burst into laughter. Having lost everything to fire, he did not cry; instead, he laughed and laughed and laughed. Interestingly, for him, this was enough for him to express his dissatisfaction while keeping a positive frame of mind about an ugly set of circumstances. Simon Critchley refers to this type of humor as “the great anti-depressant,” (Critchley cover). One anonymous student at Belmont University admitted to laughing during the saddest of events. “What else is there to do,” she explained. “You can either get depressed, or laugh about it and move on with your life.” Indeed, laughing blocks the production of stress hormones, while increasing the production of endorphins (Williamson 45). Many others simply cry, which works well for them, as crying rids the body of stress and allows a person to “get it out of their system” and move on. A good cry and a good laugh both work to do the same things and thus can often be used interchangeably. Where one might cry, another laughs, and vice versa.
In fact, across different cultures, laughter and tears hold quite different meanings. For example, the Vietnamese have been said to express horror, extreme grief, and sadness through violent laughter-not by crying (Solomon 181-99 ). Darwin writes that the Chinese too, “when suffering from deep grief, burst into hysterical fits of laughter,” (Darwin, 206). Lafcadio Hearn writes of a Japanese servant who “smilingly” requested time off to attend her husband’s funeral. Later, she came back laughing, with her husband’s ashes in a vase, saying, “Here is my husband.” Although her mistress thought it to be cynicism, Hearn writes that it “may have been pure heroism.” (Hearn 656-83)
These observations raise some serious issues that mustn’t be set aside. Are all actions such as laughing and crying defined solely according to a person’s culture, or is there a set of universal expressions representing a set of universal emotions? Dr. Paul Ekman, a world-renowned psychologist, argues that there is a “fixed universal face of sadness,” and has written numerous publications on the subject of emotional expression. How is this possible, in light of the immense body of research and observations pointing in the other direction? Perhaps there exists some middle ground. Perhaps he was correct in concluding that there is a natural and universal set of expressions, yet failed to take into account the importance of social and cultural influence on a person’s development of expression. Indeed, there exists a great bit of evidence showing that a person’s natural responses can be altered as a result of conditioning. Nonetheless, laughter and tears are frequently used as substitutes for one another; how exactly that occurs is not of pressing importance.
Another interesting “property” of laughing and crying is that they have a tendency to occur in close proximity to each other. The American media is well aware of this fact, as it is a theme common to numerous films. A character in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias said, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Furthermore, the film’s tagline was “The funniest movie ever to make you cry.” The tagline for the film Terms of Endearment was “come to laugh, come to cry, come to terms.” In addition, Darwin has made some useful observations regarding this so-called property. He writes:
“It is scarcely possible to point out any difference between the tear-stained face of a person after a paroxysm of excessive laughter and after a bitter trying fit. It is probably due to the close similarity of the spasmodic movements caused by these widely different emotions that hysteric patients alternately cry and laugh with violence, and that young children pass suddenly from one to the other state,” (Darwin 206).
This should not come as a surprise. Considering the fact that both are interchangeable, it seems to make sense that there would be some sort of a bleeding effect. (i.e. when one is present, the other is not far and may bleed into the situation.)
In addition to this bleeding effect, there lies the “breeding effect”, which is simply one causing the other to occur, or come to life. The breeding effect occurs frequently in everyday life, and it is important to be aware of the different types. The first occurs when a person’s laughing or crying triggers another person’s laughing or crying such that both are doing the same thing. Type 1 is common in movie theatres, classrooms, and can be found at any place where two or more people are gathered, as laughter and tears are both highly contagious. Some have called this “conformity” (see Critchley, Oring), though this breeding effect is slightly different. When a person watches a sad or comedic film by himself, his response may be markedly different when compared to his responses while watching the film with company. Oftentimes, a person’s response, be it sad or happy, is amplified when there are people present. In many cases, one person’s laughter or tears can give birth to an entire room of laughing or crying people; hence, the breeding effect.
The second type is much different. It is similar to type 1, but with a twist. In type 2, a person’s laughing or crying triggers another person’s laughing or crying such that one is crying and the other is laughing. This is very common in situations involving a bully, or any other person making fun of another person. Of type 2, there are two subtypes. Type 2 (a) occurs when one’s laughing gives birth to another’s crying. For example, bullies often make fun of, and laugh at someone, who then starts to cry as a result. Other times, a bully will see someone crying and then begin to laugh at him or her. This would constitute type 2 (b), where one’s crying leads to another’s laughter. Keep in mind that type 2 is not restricted to bully situations. In fact, type 2 can occur among people who are involved in healthy, loving relationships with one another. Once at a local Nashville thrift store, a man was shopping with his wife and young daughter. Upon finding a Halloween mask, he put it on. This resulted in his daughter crying, which caused him to laugh to himself. Also, in typical marriages, a husband might instinctively laugh at something his spouse says or does, causing her to cry. At any rate, the relationship between laughter and crying concerning both the bleeding and breeding effects is worth noting.
Also worth noting is the way in which both laughing and crying are used as a form of bonding. Humor, as indicated in the Belmont Humor Study, functions primarily to form and build relationships between two people and also in group situations. “Inside jokes” often serve as catalysts for this. In many cases, as Dianne Wandruff points out, shared humor helps people to be more open with each other. “They’re not afraid of being put down, so they will risk sharing their opinion (Wandruff). The same openness is also the key to why crying is another important adhesive. When a person cries with a friend, family member, or significant other, he or she is choosing to expose a part of him or herself that is not shown to the “real world”. This allows for one to get to know a person on a deeper level. It is this openness through laughter and tears is what brings people together. In addition, after laughing and crying together, people tend to feel as if they have experienced a meaningful event together, which often leaves them feeling closer to each other than prior to the event. Thus, laughing and crying are vital components in the process of creating a feeling of closeness between people.
Lastly, researchers believe that crying and laughing may stem from the same part of the brain (Hudepohl 181) The implications of this research are astounding. This mean that laughing and crying are part of the same neural pathway, which would explain why both have similar purposes, and why the effects of both laughing and crying are so similar. This also explains why both often occur simultaneously, and why it is possible for a person to laugh until they cry, and why hysterical patients and young children often pass easily from one state to the other.
Therefore, are laughter and tears really so different? In a sense, they are, like sunshine is different from rain. But in that same way, they are essential to each other’s existence. Without sunshine, there would be no such thing as rain, and without rain, one would not know the beauty of a sunny day. Both rain and shine are also essential elements to the lives of whatever each falls on. They provide nutrients so that its recipients can live. Without one or the other, life would cease to exist. In addition, proper health depends on a proper balance between the two, as does the life of a healthy individual. Both laughter and tears are crucial in terms of development, and their effects are much the same. Together, one can live a healthy life. Also, as sunshine leads to rain, and rain leads to sunshine, laughter and tears can cause each other to happen. Thus, while they appear to be polar opposites, they are in-fact closely tied together in the delicate balance of life, which would not be the same without either one.
WORKS CITED:
Bennet, Mary P., et al. "The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity." Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Mar. 2003: 38-45. ProQuest . 10 Apr. 2005
Critchley, Simon. On Humour. New York: Routledge, 2002.
Darwin, Charles. The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals. New York: D. Appleton Company, 1899.
Ed. Peter F. Jorgensen, David Levinson, and James J. Ponzetti, Jr.. Encyclopedia of Human Emotions (Volume I). 2 vols. Great Marrington, MA: Berkshire Group, 1999.
Hearn, L. Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan . New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1894.
Hudepohl, Dana. "The Healing Power of Tears." Reader's Digest (Canadian-English Edition) Mar. 2003: n. pag. 181
Neu, Jerome. A Tear IS an Intellectual Thing: The Meanings of Emotion. New York, Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000.
Orr, Tamra B. "From Tears to Laughter." Current Health 2. Feb. 2000: 13-16. ProQuest . 9 Apr. 2005
Solomon, R.. "Emotions and Anthropology: The logic of Emotional World Views." Inquiry 21 1978: 181-199.
Steel Magnolias. Dir. Jeff Steitzer. Videocassette. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 1989.
"Study confirms belief that laughter is the best medicine." AORN Journal 80 (2004). 8 Apr. 2005
.
Terms of Endearment. Dir. James L Brooks. Videocassette. Paramount, 1983.
Wandruff, Dianne. Laughter: Why it is so good for you. 2004. Bipolar World. 29 Apr. 2005 .
Williamson, Patty. "'Laughing your way to health and enlightenment'." American Fitness Sept. 2004: 45.
1st year seminar. The Epistimology of Humor
May 1, 2005
Opposites are thought to be entirely different from each other, and in many ways, they are. The opposite of up is down, joy-sorrow, love-hate, and in this same way, the natural opposite of laughter is thought to be tears. But are these two things really all that different? Laughing and crying, though “opposites”, often serve similar purposes in culture and in the human body alike. In many ways, the two can be used interchangeably to produce similar results, and either can trigger the other very easily. Thus, the interaction between laughter and tears is worth exploring.
What are tears, what is crying, and what is exactly is laughter? Merriam-Webster defines laughing as “showing mirth, joy, or scorn with a smile and chuckle or explosive sound.” Crying is “to shed tears often noisily.” Tears however come in two different types. Irritant tears and are secreted due to irritation of the eye, as in when cutting an onion. Tears of this nature are chemically very different from “emotional” tears, and do not constitute as crying (Orr 16). Laughter consists of a wide range of expression, from a quiet chuckle to an uncontrolled outburst. Interestingly enough, laughing and crying are characterized by similar breathing patterns, and facial expression. For this reason, the face of a person after laughing is often indistinguishable from the face of one who has been crying.
Biologically speaking, there is a great deal of evidence revealing striking similarities between laughing and crying. For example, both have been shown to relieve stress and keep the human body functioning healthily. When a person laughs, blood pressure drops 10-20 points, endorphins are released, and the production of stress hormones is blocked. (Orr 16) As a person cries, tears are expelled that contain several toxins-toxins that are the by-products of stress (Jorgensen 156). In this way, the body uses tears and laughter as a means to rid the body of stress. Thus while the outward processes may be quite different, what is taking place on the inside is quite similar.
In addition to relieving stress, both laughing and crying are pivotal in keeping the body in a healthy state, both physically and mentally. Studies show that laughter works to improve the immune system by increasing the number of natural killer cells in the blood. These killer cells are what protect the body against infection (Bennet 38-45) Because of this, people who laugh more, in theory, are less susceptible to illness than those who do not laugh frequently. This is difficult to measure, however, because there are a variety of outside factors, such as lifestyle and eating habits, both of which contribute to a person’s susceptibility to illness. Laughter also increases lung capacity, and it has been shown that one minute of deep, sustained laughter is as aerobic as 10 minutes on a rowing machine (Orr 16). Crying, then, which is characterized by similar breathing patterns can also have an effect comparable to that of laughter. Both also exercise facial muscles and exercise the diaphragm. As this occurs, other muscles in the body are able to relax, improving the digestion process (Williamson 45). Thus, laughter and tears can be very beneficial to human health.
Working together, laughter and tears also help to keep a person mentally healthy. Each of the two processes are outward expressions of what is taking place on the inside of a person, and therefore serve as therapeutic aids toward emotional expression and inner healing. 80% of doctors believe that laughter is in-fact the best medicine, because it helps to “make one feel better, and therefore might help one recover,” (Williamson 45) Crying too, makes a person feel better, says Lea, age 16. “My friends think I’m strange, but I feel really good when it’s over,” (Orr 13,14) “Both laughter and crying can give you a different viewpoint on things,” adds Kate Posey, therapist, and author of How to Handle Bullies, Teasers, and other Meanies. “They discharge emotions that you are carrying, as can exercising or talking with friends. (Orr 16)
Perhaps what makes crying so powerful is that to cry, one must possess a certain level of security before he/she can cry. The same can be said with regards to full out, out of control laughter. A person who feels secure enough to cry and release his innermost emotions can be the quickest to recover. This is likely to be true because in theory, one who cries often, or laughs a lot is able to release emotions instead of having to bottle them up on the inside-which can lead to emotional issues as well as physical problems. This release, is both metaphoric and literal, as laughter and crying work to release unhealthy toxins in the body, as well as what’s on one’s mind. Is this the cure for physical and mental health problems? No it isn’t. However, being open enough to laugh and to cry can be a good first step, and a sign that a person is ready to seek any help that might be needed to unravel emotional issues.
If laughter and tears are so different from each other, then how is it that a person can laugh until he or she cries? The existence of this occurrence demonstrates the strange co-existence of laughing and crying. Darwin has interesting theories regarding this phenomenon. According to his theory, “whenever the muscles round the eyes are strongly and involuntarily contracted in order to compress the blood vessels and thus protect the eyes, tears are secreted. This occurs under the most opposite emotions, and under no emotion at all,” (Neu 15). With that being said, it becomes quite clear why when a person laughs very hard-this is physically very similar to extreme weeping-he or she can easily begin to shed tears. This is because under both conditions, the breathing patterns, along with the contraction of the facial muscles is doing nearly the same thing. Therefore, it makes much sense that one would shed tears as a result of violent laughter.
The aforementioned theory works well to explain why one might cry during extreme bouts of weeping and laughing, but it does not explain why tears are secreted during relatively calm states of laughing and crying, when a person is not putting much stress on the facial muscles. Of this, Darwin argues that this is often a conditioned response to what was originally strictly a biological mechanism. For example, when a small toddler or other young child experiences grief to a sad event, he or she is likely to weep violently to the point where tears would naturally be secreted in order to protect the eyes. After a few times, because of this natural process, a child would begin to associate sadness with tears. The same would be true involving violent laughter. Soon, a similar association could be developed between laughter and tears. Thus, with this association in place, it would be possible for any sad-laughable-event to trigger the secretion of tears (Darwin 173).
Because laughing and crying fulfill such similar emotional and physical needs, it should be no wonder that both are common substitutes for one another. It is often said that one should laugh instead of crying, and it is not uncommon for a person to cry in moments of immense personal joy and happiness (i.e. weddings). For example, there was once a man whose house burnt down, and had to live out of his car for a few weeks. Then one day, while driving to the store, his car suddenly caught on fire. Then he, as his car was bursting into flames, burst into laughter. Having lost everything to fire, he did not cry; instead, he laughed and laughed and laughed. Interestingly, for him, this was enough for him to express his dissatisfaction while keeping a positive frame of mind about an ugly set of circumstances. Simon Critchley refers to this type of humor as “the great anti-depressant,” (Critchley cover). One anonymous student at Belmont University admitted to laughing during the saddest of events. “What else is there to do,” she explained. “You can either get depressed, or laugh about it and move on with your life.” Indeed, laughing blocks the production of stress hormones, while increasing the production of endorphins (Williamson 45). Many others simply cry, which works well for them, as crying rids the body of stress and allows a person to “get it out of their system” and move on. A good cry and a good laugh both work to do the same things and thus can often be used interchangeably. Where one might cry, another laughs, and vice versa.
In fact, across different cultures, laughter and tears hold quite different meanings. For example, the Vietnamese have been said to express horror, extreme grief, and sadness through violent laughter-not by crying (Solomon 181-99 ). Darwin writes that the Chinese too, “when suffering from deep grief, burst into hysterical fits of laughter,” (Darwin, 206). Lafcadio Hearn writes of a Japanese servant who “smilingly” requested time off to attend her husband’s funeral. Later, she came back laughing, with her husband’s ashes in a vase, saying, “Here is my husband.” Although her mistress thought it to be cynicism, Hearn writes that it “may have been pure heroism.” (Hearn 656-83)
These observations raise some serious issues that mustn’t be set aside. Are all actions such as laughing and crying defined solely according to a person’s culture, or is there a set of universal expressions representing a set of universal emotions? Dr. Paul Ekman, a world-renowned psychologist, argues that there is a “fixed universal face of sadness,” and has written numerous publications on the subject of emotional expression. How is this possible, in light of the immense body of research and observations pointing in the other direction? Perhaps there exists some middle ground. Perhaps he was correct in concluding that there is a natural and universal set of expressions, yet failed to take into account the importance of social and cultural influence on a person’s development of expression. Indeed, there exists a great bit of evidence showing that a person’s natural responses can be altered as a result of conditioning. Nonetheless, laughter and tears are frequently used as substitutes for one another; how exactly that occurs is not of pressing importance.
Another interesting “property” of laughing and crying is that they have a tendency to occur in close proximity to each other. The American media is well aware of this fact, as it is a theme common to numerous films. A character in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias said, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Furthermore, the film’s tagline was “The funniest movie ever to make you cry.” The tagline for the film Terms of Endearment was “come to laugh, come to cry, come to terms.” In addition, Darwin has made some useful observations regarding this so-called property. He writes:
“It is scarcely possible to point out any difference between the tear-stained face of a person after a paroxysm of excessive laughter and after a bitter trying fit. It is probably due to the close similarity of the spasmodic movements caused by these widely different emotions that hysteric patients alternately cry and laugh with violence, and that young children pass suddenly from one to the other state,” (Darwin 206).
This should not come as a surprise. Considering the fact that both are interchangeable, it seems to make sense that there would be some sort of a bleeding effect. (i.e. when one is present, the other is not far and may bleed into the situation.)
In addition to this bleeding effect, there lies the “breeding effect”, which is simply one causing the other to occur, or come to life. The breeding effect occurs frequently in everyday life, and it is important to be aware of the different types. The first occurs when a person’s laughing or crying triggers another person’s laughing or crying such that both are doing the same thing. Type 1 is common in movie theatres, classrooms, and can be found at any place where two or more people are gathered, as laughter and tears are both highly contagious. Some have called this “conformity” (see Critchley, Oring), though this breeding effect is slightly different. When a person watches a sad or comedic film by himself, his response may be markedly different when compared to his responses while watching the film with company. Oftentimes, a person’s response, be it sad or happy, is amplified when there are people present. In many cases, one person’s laughter or tears can give birth to an entire room of laughing or crying people; hence, the breeding effect.
The second type is much different. It is similar to type 1, but with a twist. In type 2, a person’s laughing or crying triggers another person’s laughing or crying such that one is crying and the other is laughing. This is very common in situations involving a bully, or any other person making fun of another person. Of type 2, there are two subtypes. Type 2 (a) occurs when one’s laughing gives birth to another’s crying. For example, bullies often make fun of, and laugh at someone, who then starts to cry as a result. Other times, a bully will see someone crying and then begin to laugh at him or her. This would constitute type 2 (b), where one’s crying leads to another’s laughter. Keep in mind that type 2 is not restricted to bully situations. In fact, type 2 can occur among people who are involved in healthy, loving relationships with one another. Once at a local Nashville thrift store, a man was shopping with his wife and young daughter. Upon finding a Halloween mask, he put it on. This resulted in his daughter crying, which caused him to laugh to himself. Also, in typical marriages, a husband might instinctively laugh at something his spouse says or does, causing her to cry. At any rate, the relationship between laughter and crying concerning both the bleeding and breeding effects is worth noting.
Also worth noting is the way in which both laughing and crying are used as a form of bonding. Humor, as indicated in the Belmont Humor Study, functions primarily to form and build relationships between two people and also in group situations. “Inside jokes” often serve as catalysts for this. In many cases, as Dianne Wandruff points out, shared humor helps people to be more open with each other. “They’re not afraid of being put down, so they will risk sharing their opinion (Wandruff). The same openness is also the key to why crying is another important adhesive. When a person cries with a friend, family member, or significant other, he or she is choosing to expose a part of him or herself that is not shown to the “real world”. This allows for one to get to know a person on a deeper level. It is this openness through laughter and tears is what brings people together. In addition, after laughing and crying together, people tend to feel as if they have experienced a meaningful event together, which often leaves them feeling closer to each other than prior to the event. Thus, laughing and crying are vital components in the process of creating a feeling of closeness between people.
Lastly, researchers believe that crying and laughing may stem from the same part of the brain (Hudepohl 181) The implications of this research are astounding. This mean that laughing and crying are part of the same neural pathway, which would explain why both have similar purposes, and why the effects of both laughing and crying are so similar. This also explains why both often occur simultaneously, and why it is possible for a person to laugh until they cry, and why hysterical patients and young children often pass easily from one state to the other.
Therefore, are laughter and tears really so different? In a sense, they are, like sunshine is different from rain. But in that same way, they are essential to each other’s existence. Without sunshine, there would be no such thing as rain, and without rain, one would not know the beauty of a sunny day. Both rain and shine are also essential elements to the lives of whatever each falls on. They provide nutrients so that its recipients can live. Without one or the other, life would cease to exist. In addition, proper health depends on a proper balance between the two, as does the life of a healthy individual. Both laughter and tears are crucial in terms of development, and their effects are much the same. Together, one can live a healthy life. Also, as sunshine leads to rain, and rain leads to sunshine, laughter and tears can cause each other to happen. Thus, while they appear to be polar opposites, they are in-fact closely tied together in the delicate balance of life, which would not be the same without either one.
WORKS CITED:
Bennet, Mary P., et al. "The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity." Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Mar. 2003: 38-45. ProQuest . 10 Apr. 2005
Critchley, Simon. On Humour. New York: Routledge, 2002.
Darwin, Charles. The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals. New York: D. Appleton Company, 1899.
Ed. Peter F. Jorgensen, David Levinson, and James J. Ponzetti, Jr.. Encyclopedia of Human Emotions (Volume I). 2 vols. Great Marrington, MA: Berkshire Group, 1999.
Hearn, L. Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan . New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1894.
Hudepohl, Dana. "The Healing Power of Tears." Reader's Digest (Canadian-English Edition) Mar. 2003: n. pag. 181
Neu, Jerome. A Tear IS an Intellectual Thing: The Meanings of Emotion. New York, Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000.
Orr, Tamra B. "From Tears to Laughter." Current Health 2. Feb. 2000: 13-16. ProQuest . 9 Apr. 2005
Solomon, R.. "Emotions and Anthropology: The logic of Emotional World Views." Inquiry 21 1978: 181-199.
Steel Magnolias. Dir. Jeff Steitzer. Videocassette. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 1989.
"Study confirms belief that laughter is the best medicine." AORN Journal 80 (2004). 8 Apr. 2005
.
Terms of Endearment. Dir. James L Brooks. Videocassette. Paramount, 1983.
Wandruff, Dianne. Laughter: Why it is so good for you. 2004. Bipolar World. 29 Apr. 2005 .
Williamson, Patty. "'Laughing your way to health and enlightenment'." American Fitness Sept. 2004: 45.