TresSugar

Dear Poll: Do You Ever Break the Tension With Laughter?

DearSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0800

Couples fight, it just comes with the territory, but knowing when to call a truce takes a certain sense of humility. I've found that laughter helps to keep things in perspective so tell me, have you ever cracked a joke or started to giggle in order to keep the peace in your relationship?

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Dear Poll: Does Your Boyfriend Make You Laugh?

DearSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:00:00 -0700

For me, humor isn’t just an important aspect of a significant other; it’s an absolute must. I need to be around someone who can make me laugh, both in the best of times, and also during the worst. I’ve come to realize though that not everyone shares my sentiments. So does your boyfriend’s sense of humor make you giggle?

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Dear Poll: Do You Consider Yourself Funny?

DearSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0700

I love a good laugh - who doesn’t? - but while I’ve certainly said a few witty remarks in my day, I don’t consider myself a particularly funny lady. I have a great sense of humor, and I’m happy to be the brunt of a silly joke, but I won’t be the one delivering the punch line. With so many celebrity funny women out there these days (hello, Tina Fey!), it seems like women are finally getting the last laugh, so are you one of them?

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The How-To Lounge: Having More Fun

DearSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Whether we like to admit it, the stress and burden of daily life often gets in the way of having a little fun, and without fun, things can get boring and depressing. I’m a firm believer that happiness is the key to good health and a long life, so why not incorporate more fun into your life? To see my ideas on how to do just that, read more.

Give into temptation! Well, not every time, but it’s OK to break your own rules every once in a while. Stay out too late, eat too many brownies, and sleep until noon!
Plan a night with old friends. Reminiscing about old times guarantees some serious laughter. If you’re feeling really brave, pull out your old yearbooks or photo albums.
Do something that's out of your comfort zone. Just a small change can get your endorphins running high. If you’re a homebody, make a plan to get out. And if you’re already pretty adventurous, try something totally new like kayaking or skateboarding.
Splurge on good tickets to see your favorite musician or comedian. There’s nothing like seeing a live performance.
Host a barbecue for your best friends - it's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Most importantly, learn how to make even the smallest moments fun ones just by being open to a good laugh!

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Dear Poll: Are You a Nervous Laugher?

DearSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:00:00 -0800

I have a very loud laugh that some say is contagious, so I guess I should feel lucky that I'm not a nervous laugher. When I say nervous laughter, I mean someone that giggles when they're uncomfortable, sad, or even angry - like at a funeral or when they are put on the spot at work. So what category do you fall in? Are you a nervous laugher or do you save your giggles for something that's actually funny?

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Pillow Talk: Laughing

DearSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 08:00:00 -0800

As we all know, maintaing a successful relationship takes work and dedication, but good, old-fashioned fun is a big part of the equation as well. A great many of my best and sweetest memories involve laughing with my partner. "Laughter is the best medicine" is an old adage, but research shows it isn't just a cliche after all.

To read more read more

According to Martie Haselton, associate professor of psychology at UCLA,

. . . the research is showing that humor is playing a surprising and important role in human relationships, perhaps as important as physical attraction.

Finding someone with a sense of humor is often an important quality in a potential partner, but Rod Martin, president of the International Society for Humor Studies, has found that while women want to find a partner who makes them laugh, men look for women who will laugh at their jokes, which makes attracting a partner a little harder for the funny ladies.

Turns out, laughter between couples can be a sign of trust, too.

Humor and laughter often communicate something much deeper than the appreciation of a joke. Robert Provine, author of "Laughter: A Scientific Investigation," said that 90 percent of the things we laugh at aren’t even remotely funny.

"Most laughter is not about jokes," he explained. "It's about relationships between people.” Laughing says more about how someone feels toward another person; it's an indicator of how much they like, trust or agree with that person, Provine said.

And while laughter can be helpful when resolving conflict, real problems can erupt if a partner doesn't know when to get serious! For some surprising information on the connection between laughter, courtship and love, click here.

As for laughter's medicinal qualities, this article from Natural Health reports significant findings about laughter's ability to help defend against infections.

Laughter boosts the activity of your immune system's natural killer cells and other defenses against infections, according to a 2001 study in Alternative Therapies in Health, and Medicine. It also appears to reduce the amount of hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, that your body produces during times of stress. Repeated release of these hormones over time can weaken your immune system.

That link also includes 4 quick tips for lightening up, calming your body and mind, and preventing stress from taking over.

Let's laugh a little more, at ourselves and with each other, ladies. And what if GiggleSugar actually prevented a cold? How much laughter is there in your house? How about the house you grew up in?

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The View Ladies Have a Case of Inappropriate Giggles

TresSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:02 -0800

Sofía Vergara, the young, Latina wife on Modern Family, went on The View today. Things got off to an awkward enough start when Joy asked the Colombian actress, "So you really talk like that?" but then things got worse. Like rape worse. The hosts remarked on how young she is to have an 18-year-old son, and Sherri joked that Sofía must have had him when she was 12." Then Sofía took the joke much, much further saying, "No, no, 13. I was raped." What?! Silence. Now let's all laugh and make it go away. So they did, and Barbara steered the conversation into the less-felony-ish waters of motherhood.

In all fairness, I don't think I could've handled this much better. Obviously, it was nervous laughter from bewilderment and embarrassment. But what a clip it makes!

The Endless Benefits of Laughter

DearSugar — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:16:54 -0700

Dear Sugar
I am a type A person who gets stressed out often. Because I don't want to take any anti-anxiety medication, I try my best to do yoga at least a few times a week. Is there anything that I can do (preferably that takes a minute or less) when life just generally feels too overwhelming? Tense Tinsley

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Tense Tinsley
Wow, you really are type A. I'll try to keep my response under a minute for you. There are many different stress related exercises that you can do while at work that all include taking a few long, deep breaths. This slows down your heart rate and helps to center your energy. You can make yourself a cup of herbal tea (the aroma and the soothing taste is extremely calming) or you can pick up the phone, call a friend and have a hearty belly laugh!

Believe it or not, laughter is a wonderful way to release tension, boost your health and help your moods. People who are ill, have even been known to help cure themselves through laughter. It's great for the soul and it's a great way to expend emotions. Laughter also happens to help form bonds and close connections in relationships as well as work as a naturally wonderful digestive since it expands your lungs. Plus, laughter is free!

One minute of laughing has been reported to keep you feeling relaxed for nearly an hour. Laughter lowers the levels of stress hormones in your body while promoting the production of endorphins (Shape Magazine, July 06).

It is said that even the anticipation of laughing causes you to become happier. You also increase the oxygen that gets to your blood and your body gets its own little vibrational, natural massage.

So when you find that you are spending more time being brought down, pick yourself up with a good old fashioned minute long laugh. Go for the kind where your sides hurt when you are finished. There is no other feeling that works as much good for your body as laughter does.

People Laughing at People Laughing at People

GiggleSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:00:00 -0700

Those viral marketing campaigns are getting more and more creative. Skype, a free video-call service, schemed up a way to get people to engage with their product, pay a giggle forward, and put the laughter-is-contagious theory to the test. It's called the laughter chain. The chain begins with a baby giggling, then jumps to a dude LOLing while watching an online vid of the baby giggling then moves to an older man chuckling (the best chuckle ever!) while watching the dude LOL, and so on. Visit the Skype website for more details and throw yourself into the mix for the fun(ny) of it.

Rock 'N Roll On the Floor With Laughter

GiggleSugar — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:02:00 -0800

What possesses Celine Dion to do AC/DC covers? I mean, she's got a beautiful voice, but classic rock 'n roll is not her genre. As one commenter put it, "Ah, the mind-shattering HORROR!"