Laughter

Laughter is the basic expression of humor or what is funny. Anthropologists cannot agree on the exact origin of laughing. It seems to be indigenous to we humans. Human consciousness not only brought insight and mankind’s thinking process, it also stimulates laughter.

 Even the Bible is rather ambiguous about it. When Sarah was told she would conceive at an advanced age, she laughed at the absurdity of this information (Genesis 18:12). 

 In Psalm 126:2, the author declares, “Then was our mouth filled with laughter.” The other references to laughter are inconsequential.

 To laugh seems to be synonymous with the origin of man, “The first semblance of a joke is said to have originated in ancient Greece, in the year 1200 B.C. In 350 B.C. a comedy club was formed to swap jokes. It was called the “Group of Sixty.”

 The Roman Plautus developed a “jest book” in 10 BC. The Dark Ages had little opportunity for humor, but the “joke” was reborn during the Renaissance.

 In 1452, Poggio Bracciolini (1380-1459) developed a book of jokes based on his travels around Europe. Which brings me to me and my trip around the world, studying humor and keeping a record of favorite jokes. In Turkey I found the men were fond of homosexual jokes. They told them and were disappointed that I didn’t know any.

 In China I found a constant disinterest in verbal or written jokes. They seldom laughed at my jokes. However, they roared with laughter at CARTOONS. Their newspapers had many of them and they would enthusiastically show them and explain them to me.

 I carried on my inquiring while visiting several countries in Africa. Especially Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. In referring to each other, they often used the word “bonga.” To my amazement it meant, “They are not smart and not quick to get a joke.”

 While traveling around Europe I discovered that each country had one or more countries they put down, humorously. The Polish versus the Russians; the Austrians versus the Germans; the Germans versus the French, etc.

 In Russia I ran into a very controversial theory. In several sections of Russia, to laugh is seen as a sign of insanity. I’m not sure about its truth, but I did notice that many Russians never smile.

 A few years ago, Psychology Today conducted a study of laughter and concluded we need to laugh at least twenty times per day for optimal living. Also four hugs a day. A baby giggles or laughs at least twenty times an HOUR.

 On my world trip I visited twenty-six countries. In addition to my previous opinions I made a list of subjects the people I interviewed wanted to hear jokes about. I used fifteen topics as my guidelines. From the voting I chose the top five vote getters.

 The top subject was a choice of SEXUAL jokes. Since I avoid dirty and sexually explicit jokes this choice was all the more significant. My idea of an acceptable sexual joke is one about a husband and wife in bed. She says, “Do you remember when we were first married you would hold my hand?” He reached over and held her hand. Then she said, “Do you remember you would kiss me on the cheek?” And he kissed her. Then she said, “Do you remember when you would nibble on my ear?”  And he jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. When he got back in bed, she asked, “Why did you go to the bathroom?” His response is the punch line. “To get my teeth.”

 The second subject for jokes was POLITICIANS. The third was SENIORS.  The fourth was ETHNIC and the fifth was RELIGION.

 The last four are self explanatory. The first, I feel, needed a little bit of clarification.

Amen. Selah. So be it.

 

WORDS TO THINK ABOUT

G. W. Abersold Ph.D.