World Laughter Day 2021: Theme, History and Significance of World Laughter Day

The COVID 19 pandemic is raging across India and people are in dire need of some hope and happiness. In dark times like these, laughter or humour can be uplifting and bring hope to the people. World Laughter Day 2021 is coming up on May 2 and the importance of comedy and laughter in dark times like this cannot be understated. Read on to know more about World Laugh Day 2021 theme, history and significance. 

World Laughter Day History 

Laughter is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get rid of stress and forget the struggles of everyday life. Laughing helps you relax and releases hormones that release physical tension and help to boost the immune system. World Laughter Day was first celebrated on May 10, 1998, in Mumbai, India. The mind behind the formation of World Laughter Day was Dr Madan Kataria, who is also the founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement. As per an article by the DDNews website, Dr Kataria was inspired to start the Laughter Day and Laughter Yoga movement in part by the facial feedback hypothesis. The facial feedback hypothesis is a theory that changing one's facial expressions on purpose can help people to change their emotions. World Laughter Day is celebrated around the world to remind people of the health and mental benefits of laughter. 

World Laughter Day 2021 Theme 

There isn't a set theme for World Laughter Day 2021. However, people can celebrate world laughter day inside their own homes. On this year's World Laughter Day, you can plan something fun for your loved ones. You can watch a comedy film with your family or watch a stand-up comedy show from home. These days there a lot of online comedy stand up show that you buy tickets for from websites like BookMyShow. You could spend time with old friends and relive your college/school memories to bring more laughter into your lives. 

World Laughter Day Significance

Laughter, along with exercising is one of the most effective ways to improve your health, as has been backed up by countless studies such as the one on verywellmind.com. World Laughter Day is important because it reminds people to stop worrying about small insignificant things and learn to laugh off their problems, facing them head-on. Let's take a look at how laughter improves our physical and mental health. 

• Laughter helps to lower the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Higher levels of cortisol are linked to many diseases. 
• Laughing can help you burn weight. I good laughter can help people lose up to 40-60 calories. 
• Your facial and core muscles get exercised every time you laugh. 
• Laughter can have an invigorating effect on people, similar to having a cup of coffee. It will leave you feeling energised. 

Image Source: Shutterstock