Afghans have experienced decades of war and bloodshed causing great psychological damage, but for many, laughing can be the only way to forget these pains and keep their mental state balanced.
The people of Afghanistan have faced years of deadly civil strife, foreign military aggressions and widespread destruction.
Laughing, especially laughing out loud in the Afghan culture is considered a sign of light-heartedness and displeasure for women, and it is instilled in girls since childhood that laughing out loud is inappropriate for them. And it is recommended for them to express their happiness through a smile.
A pleasant smile is perhaps the most universal mean of expressing emotions. Sometimes the importance of laughing becomes so common for us humans that we forget how amazing, important and vital this natural remedy is.
It has long been said that laughter heals every incurable pain. Because laughing serves as oxygen that makes the face fresh and beautiful, laughter prolongs life and increases the body’s immunity against diseases by increasing the hormone cortisol. It creates a pleasant feeling by washing carbon dioxide from the blood.
Laughter lowers blood cholesterol and is the easiest way to prevent cancer. It relieves fatigue and increases happiness by increasing the secretion of endorphins from the brain, and balances hormonal capacity.
Although, the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that laughter was the only difference between man and animal, scientists later found that even animals could express their joy with it.
By laughing, the stored energy caused by various conditions such as controlling the environment, controlling one’s mind and life events, is emptied from the mind and body, and for this reason, people usually feel very relaxed for a while after laughing.
As we laugh, the muscle beneath the lungs move up and down, filling the lungs with air, which then expels the air and sends it to the sound system to produce sound. In these exchanges, the blood is filled with oxygen and the heart receives cleaner blood, becomes more refreshed and more energetic.
Laughter plays an important role in preventing heart attacks by reducing and eliminating negative emotions, and it sends a powerful massage for the heart.
According to various research reports, laughter strengthens the immune system by lowering cortisol, increasing hemoglobin, increasing the activity of pain-reducing cells, and increasing cytokine. When a person laughs, his or her being is filled with emotions such as comfort, warmth, liberation, and well-being, and these are the emotions that embody the general concept of health.
Changes are caused by laughing and smiling in the human body, the appearance of which is happiness, in which case the whole body system is regulated, thinking stops and the mind becomes clearer.
Laughter is one of the most important sports, no sport can move most of the muscles of the body like laughter. One minute of laughing is equal to forty times of deep breathing. Laughing for 15 minutes a day also has many of the benefits just like the morning walk.
Scientists believe that children laugh at least four hundred times a day, while this rate is only 15 times or less among adolescents and young adults, and at older ages people sometimes laugh hardly once a day.
Most disturbing life events can be turned into tolerable things with a sense of humor. Being able to pause, joke, or laugh at anger, rage, or any other emotional or painful situation is a skill that must be learned.
Finland is considered as the happiest country in the world out of 156 countries according to the 2019 global report by the United Nations.
In this ranking, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria are the 10 happiest countries in the world respectively.
Citizens of Haiti, Botswana, Syria, Malawi, Yemen, Rwanda, Tanzania, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic and South Sudan are at the bottom of the list.
ENDS
