When Women Laugh
Women are the world's best multi-taskers. We have to be. Look at our schedules. If we took the typical woman's day - especially if she's a member of the Sandwich Generation, caring for her children and her parents - and calculated how long it would take to complete every item on the to-do list, one item at a time, the total would be something close to 647 hours!
There's no way to cram 647 hours worth of activity into a 24 hour day. But boy, do we try. So we multi-task.
No matter what we're doing, we're also doing something else.
While we're driving the kids to school, we're also putting together a grocery list and phoning in the prescription refills we'll have to pick up at the end of the day. And coordinating who's getting picked up after soccer practice and who needs a ride to clarinet class.
While we're in the office, we're doing our jobs - and also some freelance HR, smoothing over a conflict between two cranky colleagues who have to work together; fielding a call from the school nurse who's certain your child needs stronger glasses right now, and maybe doing a little online Christmas shopping, because the holidays will be here before you know it.
After work, it's time to connect with your kids, hear about your partner's horrendous day at work, and listen to your folks tell you how everything you're doing could be done so much better if only you did things their way. At the same time, the emails won't stop coming; the office wants you to answer just one more simple question, and the dog has eaten something he really shouldn't have, and now you need a carpet cleaner and possibly a haz-mat team.
Does any of this sound familiar? Women are living incredibly full lives: full of responsibility, full of stress, and yes, believe it or not, full of laughter.
Women's Humor, Women's Health
Researcher Robert Provine has found that women laugh more often than men do. There are a bunch of reasons for that, but let's sum up:
Women who laugh are happier people. Women who laugh are healthier people. Chalk another one up to the power of multi-tasking. When women laugh, they're accomplishing many things at once.
When women laugh, they're lifting their spirits, boosting their mood, and increasing their emotional resiliency. Because women are awesome, our laughter can even encourage other people to laugh, which helps elevate their moods as well!
When women laugh, they're lowering their blood pressure. Laughter helps thin the lining of our blood vessels, which is great news for anyone worried about heart disease and cardiac health. When women laugh, they're more likely to experience better blood sugar control.
When women laugh, their stress levels come down. This is hugely important, as stress contributes negatively to so many health problems we'd all rather live without. Laughter is an all-natural stress buster, requiring no drugs, and completely free!
When women laugh, we might think we're just having a bit of fun. But we're improving our health, preparing ourselves to have a better tomorrow, and having a positive impact on the lives of the people around us. That's the healing power of humor: amazing and amusing at the same time!
