The Music of Laughter

Dictionary Definition:

laughter/noun

1. the action or sound of laughing

2. an inner quality, mood, disposition, etc., suggestive of laughter; mirthfulness: a man of laughter and goodwill

3. an expression or appearance of merriment or amusement

4. Archaic an object of laughter; subject or matter for amusement

I love the sound of laughter. Warm-hearted, deep-throated, genuine laughter. It could be guys guffawing over a shared joke, girls giggling over a shared secret, friends amusing themselves over silly behaviour, but laughter still has a peculiar quality, of conveying something beautiful directly to the heart, much the way that music does.

Why does it affect me so powerfully? There hasn't been much for me to laugh about in a long time; I have a rather degenerate sense of humour, which is why I find people who do have a good sense of humour irresistible. I mean, there is a lot going on, but it's mostly neutral stuff; there's nothing to be depressed about, but then it's not exactly ecstatic joy either. I keep cheerful most of the time, but it's not very often that I get to hear free, open laughter, which conveys genuine enjoyment of the moment in progress.

Laughter conveys goodwill, delight, an extremely positive vibe around oneself, and if the vibe is strong enough, it reaches everyone around the person laughing, which is why they say laughter is infectious. Unfortunately, it's a little rare to hear genuine good laughter; mostly it's people throwing out a fake laugh, trying to appear cool or be snobbish or just make a lot of noise. Fake laughter puzzles me more than it irritates me; I can't understand why anyone would want to laugh if they don't feel like it. And the lack of genuine laughter is also due to the fact that people often don't laugh when they feel like it, simply because they're trying to appear cool or be snobbish or they just don't want to pitch in to the general goodwill. Suppression of laughter puzzles me more; I simply cannot understand people who try to control their delight, even when it's clean and bright.

It's important to have a sense of humour, and it's important to use it, and use it well. If you don't have a sense of humour, it's important to be around people who have one, and it's important to be able to pick up on it when it's being used. Life would otherwise be a very cold place to be, with a very dim sinking glow on the horizon.