“Reader’s Digest, Jelly Donuts, and a Good Belly Laugh”
December 3, 2022
My Dad had a subscription to Reader’s Digest magazine for many years, and my favorite part of the magazine was the monthly article called, “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” The article would contain several funny one-liners and paragraph long anecdotes about various aspects of life. For example –
A woman accompanied her husband when he went for his annual checkup. While the patient was getting dressed, the doctor came in and said to the wife, “I don’t like the way he looks.” “Neither do I,” she said, “but he’s handy around the house.”–Merritt K. Freeman in Y.B. News
A fellow walked into a drugstore and headed to the back to speak to the pharmacist. “Do you have anything for hiccups?” he asked.
Without warning, the pharmacist reached over and gave the man a sharp smack on the shoulder. “Did that help?” he inquired.
“I don’t know,” the startled man replied. “I’ll have to ask my wife. She’s waiting in the car.”—Reader’s Digest
While “Laughter is the Best Medicine” was a regular feature of the digest, the phrase is not original to Reader’s Digest. It was written in the Bible long before the magazine went into circulation. Proverbs 17:22 says,
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
God has created us in such a wonderful way that joy and humor are meant to be vital parts of our lives.
In addition to God’s Word, both medical and spiritual experts have long recognized the power of laughter. Studies have proven that the slightest giggle to a big belly chuckle has more health benefits than simply improving our mood. In fact, laughter has been linked to health benefits similar to proper diet and exercise. Laughter can:
Lower stress levels
Boost our immune systems
Improve heart health
Stimulate our organs
Naturally decrease pain
Reduce blood pressure
Laughter does all of that and even burns calories, even if not as quickly as we would hope! Many research studies discovered that 10 to 15 minutes of heavy laughter can burn between 10 and 40 calories. The rate at which calories are burned depends on the individual’s body type as well as how deep and genuine the laugh was. For instance, a deep belly laugh would burn more calories than a light-hearted chuckle.
Tonight there is an episode of America’s Funniest Videos (AFV) on TV, and maybe I can hunt down an old copy of Reader’s Digest to read during the commercials of AFV. Then I’ll grab a jelly donut and laugh hard enough to burn enough calories to make that guilty pleasure of a pastry worth digesting!