TheCleaners.net

 It's been a tough year for the world, in many ways. So maybe it's appropriate that as we end 2004 we pause to take a deep breath and share a good laugh. Laughter is not only fun, it's good for you and more contagious than the common cold.

So, this week we're taking a lighthearted look at laughter. As a side benefit, you'll pick up a few good jokes for the New Year's Eve party, and be able to feel smarter than SOME people have proved to be (if the stories are to be believed.) Wishing you a happy, healthy and enjoyable New Year.

See you soon!

Jim
 

Definition of the Week GELOTOLOGY -- The scientific study of laughter (we kid you not.)

No Laughing Matter ... Coupon!

We know it wasn't your mistake.  Someone else spilled it on you, right? But no matter how it got there, it's got to come out.  Start the New Year off right - have $10 or more in dry cleaning done and we'll laugh off $5 of it as our gift to you. (Include first page of this e-mail with your order. Offer expires January 15, 2005. Cannot be combined with other offers.)

What's so funny?

Believe it or not, scientists aren't exactly sure why we laugh, or what mechanisms are involved in getting us started - kind of like the way they can't figure out how cats purr. But one thing is certain: once we get going, laughter is contagious.

Those who study laughter (yes, they do -- probably our tax dollars at work again!) say that it is the universal language.  Though there are hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects, all humans understand laughter without translation. They also say we use it as punctuation, rather than letting it interrupt our speech. We use it to communicate with other people - sometimes to include them and bond with them, sometimes to push them away ("laughing with" versus "laughing at".)

There are also those who say laughter is actually good for us, as it causes us to breathe differently, relax, and release good chemicals into our bodies that combat stress. Some people seem to laugh at the wrong times (when something sad happens, or when there is danger) but this is just a way to relieve tension.

We first start to laugh around 3 months of age, and get really good at it around 5 or 6 years old. Adults don't laugh as much as children, probably because they don't look at life the same way and play a lot less. They'd do better to laugh than to worry, though, as it helps improve mental health and is as good a work-out as exercise if it's done regularly and well. The average adult laughs about 17 times a day.

Humans are the only species that laughs (though some imitate laughter, like parrots, they don't really originate the laugh) and each person has an individual "laugh print" - a distinctive way that he or she laughs that is identifiable. We all laugh, even children born blind and deaf (and who therefore aren't taught laughter by their parents).

Laughter isn't about jokes! It's about relationships. Sure, we laugh at jokes, but most of our laughter comes as a result of observing life around us and seeing it as absurd or amusing. We frequently laugh when among friends, and at things that aren't inherently funny. The humor grows from the situation and the relationship we share with those present. Those who laugh are less stressed because they are not as threatened or embarrassed by life.

Read more about laughter -

• A big mystery: Why do we laugh? - by Robert Provine, Ph.D. for MSNBC.
• Why do we laugh? - The advantages of laughter.
• No laughing matter - by Jeanie Lerche Davis for WebMD.
• How Stuff Works -- these guys seem to know how just about everything wors, including laughter.
• Getting Serious about Laughter -- Read about the health benefits of a good laugh.
  

A Web of Laughter

If you need a laugh, the internet is a great repository of things to make you chuckle, giggle, or just bust out with a belly guffaw.  Many of the internet sites include various aspects of amusement, including interesting facts about the world (truth IS funnier than fiction), quotes by famous (or infamous) people, and stories (purportedly true) about people who are too funny for words.  Here's a sampling, with links to the sources and plenty more help you laugh in the New Year.  Enjoy!

The Darwin Awards
These "awards" are given annually (and almost always posthumously) to people who "helped improve the human genome by accidentally killing themselves in really stupid ways, and therefore removing themselves from the gene pool so they could not reproduce."

• A Runner-up in 2003:
  A New Jersey couple was severely injured when 1/4 of a stick of dynamite blew up in their car. They'd been driving around at 2 a.m., bored, when they thought it would be fun to light the stick and toss it out the window to see what it did.  Unfortunately, they failed to notice that the window was closed....  (and this is a runner-up - you'll have to go read the winners.)

We all do dumb things
Stories about people being stupid can get us giggling faster than anything else. 

• A woman was seen at work putting her credit card into her computer's floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly.  When asked what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the internet, and it kept asking for a credit card number - so she was using the "ATM thingy" on the computer. (No wonder they ask you not to surf the web on company time.)

Actual examples from High School papers on analogies and metaphors

• "He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up."
• "The little boat drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't."

Interesting facts

• 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call. (That's OK, all those people with cell phones more than make up for them.)

Laws of the Land - actual laws on the books in the US

We're a society of laws, many made for our own good. But sometimes you've got to wonder about the situations that must have arisen frequently enough to cause lawmakers to prohibit them.

• Alabama - it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while blindfolded.
• Florida - There is a law prohibiting unmarried women from parachuting on Sundays, with the possibility of arrest, a fine or jail time if they do.
• Iowa - Kisses may last up to, but not longer than, 5 minutes.
• Kentucky - It is illegal to transport an ice cream cone in your pocket.

Insurance claim form statements

• "The car in front hit the pedestrian, but he got up so I hit him again." (ouch!)
• "I was thrown from the car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows." (This guy was not having a good day.)

Gems from personnel files

• "I think he got into the gene pool when the lifeguard wasn't watching."
• "She's got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thingy to hold it together."
• "His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity."

Headlines from across the country

• "Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66"
• "Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge"
• "Hospitals Are Sued By 7 Foot Doctors"

Want more?

Be sure to set aside more than a few minutes for browsing when you hit these sites.  Time flies when you're laughing!

• Darwin Awards - year by year, they only get worse.
• Tech-Sol - worth ignoring all the advertising on the site to browse the large index of stories, jokes, quotes and much more.
• Weird Wild Web - another index of lots of stories, quotes, insurance claims and more.
• Net Funnies -- Funny stories of (supposedly) true experiences.