I was recently asked about the correlation between the Laughter Quotient and Authentic Laughter. If we use the presupposition that “Every person’s laughter is unique and is right for them, then how can a mathematical equation be used to determine someone’s authentic laugh if everyone’s is different”? The answer is easy. It can’t. But what it can do is help to get someone closer to finding it, especially when they say they can’t.
At present, I’m conducting a Research Study with a group of people who are attending a Pain Management Program at one of our major health organizations. Most of them are in chronic pain and have had surgery or some sort of invasive procedure that hasn’t worked. They can’t authentically laugh. In fact, they can hardly laugh at all, and when they do it hurts.
By using the Laughter Quotient Voice App, I could analyze each person’s laugh to find out what was missing, or out of alignment. I could not only listen to but also observe their laughter. The data never lies.
The final part of the puzzle is to then make them aware of my findings and observations, and get them to change their laughter accordingly. This is when the magic happens as they start to reconnect to their authentic laughter.
So here are some tips as to how the Laughter Quotient works for helping people to link to their Authentic Laughter.
- Let it be. Someone said to me once “Don’t try to meditate just meditate”. The same is true for laughter. Breathe in and then just exhale with a noise that may be laughter. Just let the laughter be what it is, and not what you want it to be.
- Move. Don’t laugh and just sit or stand. Allow your body to be nice and loose and move in any way that it feels like it. As with point 1 mentioned above, just let it be.
- Breathing in and the mouth and tongue. Breathing should be done through the nose to prevent gasping or coughing. The best way to do this is to open your mouth and smile and raise the tongue to the roof of the mouth to prevent air coming in. Then when we exhale the tongue can relax and fall to the bottom of the mouth and the laughter can flow more freely because the mouth is already open.
- Laugh with others. Our authentic laughter is more likely to arise when we are laughing with others, as we don’t focus on trying to get it right. This is provided we don’t start to judge our own laugh against others, and deem it to be inadequate.
- Laugh alone. A trained and advanced skill is to laugh alone and analyze without judgment your laugh as to how it feels, rather than what you think about it. To do this effectively we must become an observer. It’s best to close your eyes in a quiet space and imagine the benefits that you are experiencing from your laughter. Tape it and then play it back.
If you have any further questions regarding the Laughter Quotient then please feel free to email me at merv@mervneal.com at any time.
Merv Neal is a Laughter Yoga Master Trainer, CEO of Laughter Yoga Australia and New Zealand, and Director of Holistic Services Group. He has successfully owned and operated his own businesses for more than 43 years. He has created a Laughter Yoga Business Training Program, as well as the Business Mentors and Coaches Program, to help others to take laughter to commercial organizations, and/or to create a laughter business of their own. More information can be found at http://www.laughteryogaaustralia.org or https://www.mervneal.com. He can be contacted on 0408552269 or merv@mervneal.com