Laughter is the Best Medicine
Name: Kai P.School: Gateway High School
Grade: 11th grade
Depression and sadness are just a part of life. No matter how you try to dress it up everyone feels some kind of crushing weakness or disappointment deep down at some point or another. No one can remain cheerful or carefree forever in life. When most people are upset or generally in a bad mood, they usually think the best solution is to be left alone. But in most cases, the best solution people can think of is trying to cheer that person up. This has led to a common belief/method called, Laughter is the Best Medicine. A good joke or funny moment can take some one's mind off their own problems and/or worries temporarily and quickly reverses their mood. It's a good method for people with smaller problems, like a misunderstanding, an argument, or a lost object. laughter can cheer them up or give them a little more hope to improve things for themselves. But I believe the time when this method is most effective is when it's used with friends or people outside your own family that you care about.
There's a level of awkwardness that comes with the interaction when family members use it. I speak from personal experience and from what I've heard from my friends. They've had their parents try to make them smile or cheer them up but they claimed it didn't work too well on them. Now, let's try this scenario. A girl is frustrated about her day at school and just wants to lie down in her bed at home and be alone for a little while. One of her parents comes into her room despite her wishes and tries to make her laugh. The girl, embarrassed by her parent's attempts, just asks the parent to please leave. Let's try this same situation with a friend or a even a soon to be friend. A girl is sitting down in the hallway of her school, frustrated with how bad her test scores were. Another student sees her upset, feels sorry for her, and feels obligated to do something to help her. He goes to her and asks her about her problem. She explains her situation to him. The student tries to make her laugh. Through his efforts, the girl doesn't see social awkwardness. She could see someone who cares about her and wants to make her feel better. This comes off as more caring, because it's coming from someone who she doesn't know as well. It feels like it means more to her. Parents love their kids. That just goes without saying. So when someone she either doesn't know very well or knows only a little, shows this level of care for her, it starts to have a bigger effect.
It probably didn't even matter how funny or unfunny the joke was. The idea of gaining a friend or a friend going out of their way to help can give a feeling or satisfaction and contentment to her. You see how this plays out differently? To me, even if a joke is funny or clever, it doesn't matter as much as the purpose or gesture. That's why adults tend to have a weaker effect than someone they don't know as well. With parents or family members we know they care about us and want the best for us in life (most of the time). So their attempts come off as easy to see coming and as such, we don't really feel as comforted by their words nearly as much as they intend for us. I'm not saying that parents can't cheer up their kids. I'm just saying that I know many cases where they aren't as effective at this as friend or close acquaintances.
To me, laughter being the best solution can very depending on the situation. There are times when someone can be so filled with grief that a joke may not be the best approach. Saying laughter overall is the best solution seems too broad of a statement. Everyone has their own views. Not everyone can be pleased or satisfied in the same way. True, there are common solutions that work for a majority, but these solutions don't add up too much if they aren't used correctly. The despair that comes from personal tragedies or crushing losses cannot simply be quelled with an attempt at humor. Not everything can be solved the same way and expecting that it can be logical. Life isn't just a simple one way road. There are a multitude of obstacles and interactions we must face. One solution, while no less effective, can't be the only one available to us. I don't intend to change any one's opinions or call anyone else wrong for what they believe, but to me, life is filled with unexpected twists and turns that can lead us into "areas" we don't recognize. To sum it up, laughter can be the best medicine, but it all depends on how it's executed.
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