Laughing frequently during the day can keep you healthy

Adults laugh, on average, 17 times a day. That's about six min­utes a day. Isn't that scary? If that doesn't terrify you, I don't know what will.

The fact that in a 24 hour period we laugh less than one-fourth of one hour in a day is concerning. You have probably waited in line at Dunkin' Donuts longer.

Laughing is probably one of the most important things we do as hu­man beings; we are one of the few animals in the world that actually can. I'm sure almost everyone's heard the age-old adage "laughter is the best medicine." Yes - it's a bit worn out, yes - people always seem to find the worst times in a situation to say it and yes - some­times you may even contemplate your relationship with a person af­terward, I'd have to agree. We've all been there.

But either way, you should not discount the truth of the matter; laughter is one of the best things out there. It relieves stress, boosts the immune system, and can even put a stopper in death - no just kidding, that's a Harry Potter ref­erence. But in all seriousness, laughter even has the ability to lower your blood pressure. It al­most seems like a cure-all.

Now the question is where to find something to laugh at, be­cause really, forced or fake laugh­ter just does not hit the spot.

But no worries, because the an­swer is simple: you can find hu­mor anywhere and everywhere.

I realize I probably sound more absurd than informative. Really, funny things exist all around you, all you have to do is pay attention to your surroundings or have some type of imagination to bring a ri­diculous story to life.

Or, if that's not possible for some reason, just be silly with your friends - that almost guarantees a good time, mon­ey back guarantee. I always recom­mend having a nice collection of bad jokes and puns, for any such occasion. They usually go over pretty well and can make good ice breakers.

But also, to clarify, there is a time and place for some things and that includes some jokes. I'm sure you all have some sense, but just keep that in mind.

For my outro, I'll leave you with a gem of a joke: What did the ox say to his kid when he dropped him off at school? Bison (You're welcome).

Chelsea Catlett is a junior com­munication studies major from Al­bany, NY. She can be reached at chelsea.catlett@student.shu.edu.