Don't Worry! Be Happy!

Laughter is the best form of medicine, they say. Though scientists haven't been able pinpoint why, studies show there's a lot of truth to the old saying. Many people are firm believers.

Many cancer patients say laughter helps them cope with pain. Laughter gives us an emotional boost that can decrease stress, anxiety and depression. Some think laughter strengthens relationships, that we achieve a special bonding when we laugh together that makes it easier to cope with life's troubles. At the very least it provides a welcome distraction. Nursing home residents in a Clemson University study requested less pain medication after watching I Love Lucy reruns. Slapstick comedy produced the best results, according to study leader, Clemson professor Fran McGuire.

Doctors do know that laughter can boost the immune system. "Laughter is just like a vitamin that you take every day," said Mary Bennett, director of Western Kentucky University's nursing program. "It's another one of those healthy behaviors that we all should do, like eating right and exercising."

"We hunger for humor. We long for laughter," said Sister Sue Tracy, a survivor of multiple cancers and Dominican nun in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That hunger has led to the formation of laughter clubs where people get together to tell jokes and puns and share a good belly laugh.

So next time you need a good laugh, tune in Lucy and Ethel or the Three Stooges, pick up a book by humor columnist Dave Barry, regale yourself with a Stephanie Plum adventure by comedic novelist Janet Evanovich, turn on Comedy Central, stay up and catch Jay Leno's opening monologue, read the jokes in Readers' Digest or go on the internet to your favorite joke site. You'll be happier if you have a good belly laugh every day!