The funny bone: Debasish Gharai

The often-heard saying, 'Laughter is the best medicine' has its reason. It helps to ease tension and spread bonhomie. No wonder humour and jokes have been a part of human history, says Debasish Gharai

If you think that war, violence and accompanying trauma can wipe the smile off your face then you don't know much about the Iraqis. Even in a country where the civilian death toll has risen to more than 1,10, 600 since the war (according to an Associated Press report), people have not forgotten to laugh; they make fun even of the hardships. No wonder that the oldest recorded joke in human history is from this war-torn land. A recent study entitled , ''World's Oldest 10 Top Jokes'' by the University of Wolverhampton, UK, has found that it goes back to the times of the Sumerians who ruled this land once.

The study, commissioned by UK television channel Dave, also states that humorous asides have been a part of human culture since 1900 BC. Another recent discovery of a document named Philogelos (The Laughter Lover), written by Greek writers Hierocles and Philagrius dating back to the 3rd – 4th century AD contains some 260 jokes giving us an insight into ancient humour. An example: 'A man complains that the slave he has recently purchased has died.' 'By the gods,'' says the slave's former owner, 'when he was with me, he never did any such thing.' Then again, jokes in the genre of toilet humour was as popular with the ancient people as it is today.

Different studies have found that humour has always taken an important place in human culture. Plato's remark that 'even the gods love jokes,' seems to be absolutely correct when we find that there is a general craze for jokes among people of all ages.

Laughter has an immense impact on humans, both physiologically and psychologically. By the 14th century, the healing power of humour was recognised by the medical fraternity. French surgeon Henri De Mondeville urged the patient's relatives and special friends 'to cheer him, and by having someone tell him jokes'. Later, extensive research on how laughter impacts a person's physical and psychological well being developed into a new genre of therapy, called 'laughter therapy.'

'Humour is not necessarily telling jokes or comedy,' clarifies Dr. S. Gopal Rao, head of the department, Psychiatry, at Dr. B.R Ambedkar Medical College, Bangalore. 'It's a sense of delight and exuberance that life is funny.' It even boosts the morale of the patient, he says and believes that doctors should not mind sharing joke with patients too.

Of course, it has to be in good taste. He cites his own example. If anyone asks Dr. Rao when the clinic opens he says, 'The clock rings nine times at nine. I open at the first dong.' It helps to break the ice immediately and enlivens doctor-patient relationship.

Another funny joke on doctor's emergency call goes like this: 'Hurry!' the doctor commands his teenage daughter, 'Put my stethoscope and medicine box in my car. That was an emergency call from someone who says he will die if I don't turn up immediately.' 'Papa, that call was not for you, but for me!' replies the girl saucily.

Good hearty laughter helps releasing enzymes and hormones that are helpful for normal functioning of various organs and thus ultimately boosts the immune system. Dr William F. Fry, a psychiatrist at the Stanford University School of Medicine has been studying laughter for more than 40 years. According to him, 20 seconds of intense laughter, even if faked, is equivalent to 10 minutes of rowing.

Unfortunately, we laugh less as we mature in years. Whereas the average Kindergarten child laughs 300 times a day, the adults average just 17 laughs a day. As America's nationally acclaimed keynote speaker Michael Pritchard puts it, 'We don't stop laughing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop laughing!'

Members of India's popular 'Laughter Club', based on an ancient Yoga practice, would readily agree about the benefit of laughter. In 1995, Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai who has earned the sobriquet 'Guru of Giggling' from The Times, conceptualised 'laughter yoga' (Hasya Yoga) and tried to dissipate this concept by establishing the first 'Laughter Club' in Mumbai. However, it denies the need of any outer stimulation for laughing.

According to this concept, anyone can laugh for no apparent reason, without relying on humour, jokes or comedy. It began with just five people in a local public park, but soon the idea rapidly spread worldwide and as of 2009, there are more than 6000 laughter clubs in 60 countries which is quite a phenomenon. The movement has a simple formula-'When you laugh you change and when you change, the whole world changes.'

But if you assume that laughter is entirely a human business then think twice. A group of researchers reporting online in Current Biology, a Cell Press Publication, revealed an interesting fact about laughter. They claimed that laughter evolved gradually over the last 10-16 million years of primate evolutionary history and like human infants, young apes are known to hoot and holler when you tickle them. So in that sense laughter is basically a cross species phenomenon. In innumerable jokes apes are the main protagonist and these jokes are popularly known as Gorilla jokes.

However, laughter of human beings differs from other species not only acoustically, but also in character and in interpretation. In the human society, laughter strengthens social bonding. Sometimes it has been found that most of what we laugh at in life is not particularly funny. As Dr. Swaminath Gopal Rao says, 'Most of the laughter and joy in our life comes from everyday experiences. Slips of the tongue, puns, incongruities, overheard conversations, bureaucratic foul-ups, and silly personal mistakes make us laugh every day.' It is basically social banter and lessens the distance between two individuals and brings them together.

Today, even the hardcore corporate sector recognises the worker's sense of humour to make a positive impact in the organisation. Even 24×7 work culture appreciates a person's ability to make others laugh. Robert Half International, an executive recruitment firm, conducted a survey of a thousand executives and discovered that 84 per cent of respondents felt that workers with a sense of humour do a better job.
So next time when you go for an interview, pepper your theoretical knowledge with a bit of innovative humour which can be your USP. However, having a sense of humour doesn't mean clowning around and making fun of others; it's all about improving the communication skill with other team members for better cohesiveness in the workplace.

So, let the jokes flow in, have an excess of it.