A laugh a day keeps the Dr. broke.

Laughter is the Best Medicine
Robin Hoselton

April is National Humor Month, founded in 1976 by Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel Institute of Humor. Wilde is the author of 53 books of humor and The New York Times declared him “America’s best-selling humorist.”

Humor Institute

Why is a humor institute needed? Everyone knows the benefits of laughter–relieving stress and living longer. Why did Wilde write so many books? Didn’t he get his point across in the first one? While I enjoy a good joke, I worry that encouraging a humorous outlook is irresponsible. Am I the only curmudgeon who extols the benefits of lackof humor or pessimism?If you expect the worst of everything and it doesn’t happen, then you’re pleasantly surprised. But if you expect the best and something bad happens, then your joie de vivre suffers an emotional shock.

For example: You get up in the morning thinking “What a beautiful day!”, then a sudden blizzard spoils it. You feel really good, then someone at the office shakes your hand, passing on cold germs. You eat lunch at a restaurant so crowded and noisy that you get a headache. Later, you smile cheerfully as the boss gives you an extra project, then seeing that you’re such a patsy, he just as cheerfully heaps on more and your blood pressure rockets. At 5:00, you anticipate winding down while driving home but there’s a 3-mile traffic jam. In your misguided optimism you think that there’s a cozy home and family waiting. What really waits is the cat, so happy to see you that it jumps up, air-conditioning your new pantyhose, the puppy industriously feasting on a library book, a whining child complaining about homework, and the realization that you forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner.

So what did that good humor get you? A cold, a headache, tension, tears in your stockings, a chewed book, and no dinner.

When Life Gives You Lemons…

On the other hand, pessimism equals preparation. For example: By assuming lousy weather, you’ll gird your spirit so it won’t be dampened when it comes. By being standoffish at work, nobody wants to shake your hand and you’ll avoid those cold germs. Skipping the restaurant will skip the crowds and noise so no headache. A look of resignation when the boss dumps the extra work makes him feel guilty so he won’t pile on more. By expecting travel hassles, you alleviate stress by popping the bubble wrap you keep in the car. Knowing the cat’s propensity to jump, you wear thick leggings instead of pantyhose. In assuming canine teething destruction, you put the book out of reach. And since you frequently forget to take meat from the freezer, you keep macaroni and cheese on hand.

As for the whining child, you don’t expect pessimism to solve ALL your problems, do you? Nevertheless, you can see how valuable a sense of gloom is. What better time to celebrate it than National Humor Month!

P.S. The next conference of the International Society for Humor Studies will be in

Long Beach, California from June 10-13, 2009; www.ishs2009.com