Do you know that laughing is good? No wonder there is a saying that laughter prolongs life.

But if you look around you, we do not often see people laughing or even just smiling. More often we are surrounded everywhere by people gloomy and preoccupied with the problems of life. And to the question: “Why are you so serious?”, People basically answer: “Why rejoice?”

In fact, if people instead of negative emotions expressed positive ones, then there would be much more benefit to everyone around us, and first of all to ourselves. After all, laughter can save a person from many problems, if it really comes from the heart. And even depression cannot resist an outburst of sincere, cheerful laughter.

Let's find out more about the benefits of laughter.

Why laughing is good

An interesting fact is that a healthy and prosperous baby at the age of 6 months smiles and laughs about 300 times a day! And children, as a rule, always look much happier than adults, they are not bothered by problems, stress and depression in the same way as adults.

Laughter has a lot useful properties. Laughter makes us feel much better, even when we are not having much fun.

Laughter helps reduce stress and tension hormones. It strengthens the immune system and we produce more painkillers in the body.

Scientists have proven that a laughing person has a brain and nervous system receive impulses that positively affect their work and the whole organism as a whole.

People who laugh often are less likely to get sick. They don't even know about depression.

During laughter, our abdominal muscles tighten, the smooth muscles of the intestine are tightened, thereby helping it to remove toxins and toxins. Therefore, laughter is a kind of gymnastics for the intestines.

When we laugh, the hormones of joy, endorphins, are produced in our body, and they relieve us of irritation, melancholy and sadness.

Colds and infections are avoided by cheerful laughter, as it helps to produce antibodies that protect us from bacteria and viruses. In addition, laughter increases the number of white blood cells that fight not only inflammation, but also cancer.

Laughter has a very beneficial effect on our heart, reducing the likelihood of seizures, as it helps to normalize blood pressure.

American doctors conducted an experiment examining two groups of people. The first group consisted of almost healthy people, and the second of cores. During the examination, the doctors found that half of the people suffering from heart disease laughed much less often than healthy people of the same age.

A well-known scientist from America, Norman Cousins, thanks to laughter, reduced his pain in a complex spinal disease. Watching comedies and funny entertainment TV shows, he felt that the effect of them is better than that of painkillers, he was able to sleep peacefully without medication.

After that, he included laughter therapy in the treatment of patients with similar diseases, and created a group exploring medicinal properties humor.

Even if you don't have time to relax and unwind, try with friends or colleagues, or even alone, to laugh for a few minutes while watching a funny piece from your favorite comedy or listening to a funny song. Laughter helps to relax about 80 muscle groups, if you laugh for just 5 minutes, then this will equal 40 minutes of good rest.

All the above arguments show that laughter does not pass without a trace for a person and his health. Laughing is good, there is no doubt about it!

So, dear ones, laugh heartily, even if you don't feel like laughing. Find reasons for joy, there are many of them around, despite our daily difficulties. As soon as you start laughing, you will see that your life will begin to change for the better! 🙂

Joy, sadness and even impotence are sometimes the cause of tears. Do you know that crying is useful, especially if you have accumulated in your soul. Throw out all that you are holding through tears and cleanse yourself. According to Charles Darwin, tears released through laughter are a feature human body. In any case, crying is useful, because. it is a physiological natural process. Of course, if it doesn't happen all the time.

It is believed that women cry more often from 2 to 7 times than men, but this does not mean that men do not cry. A few tears have never hurt anyone, and even brought benefits or relief. Today we will tell you why crying is good for a person.

Why is it good to cry?

It is human nature to be sad sometimes, especially life circumstances, some movies, situations make us shed tears. Tears and crying relieve tension, protect the eyes. Tears can appear in various cases, for example, in severe pain, or when watching a comedy.

A 1985 study found that crying was a calming agent for 85% of women and 73% of men. Thus, tears help relieve stress. Therefore, crying is good for our health.

Tears destroy bacteria: tears is a natural antibacterial and disinfectant against bacteria. They contain the substance lysozyme, which can destroy up to 95% of bacteria in 10 minutes.

Cleansing: it is believed that tears from longing or grief allow the body to cleanse itself. When we cry, along with tears, toxins that are caused by stress are removed from the body. You can call it a cure.

Remedy for stress: it has been proven that tears reduce stress, because. while endorphins, enkephalin and prolactin are released, which protect the body from stress.

Through tears, people can sometimes become closer friend friend, to fully express their feelings, emotions. They expel accumulated unnecessary “substances” from the body so that they cannot harm the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Of course, we all know that after a lot of crying, we feel much calmer. In addition, crying regulates the heart rate.

Tears improve mood: tears contain a large number of manganese. This microelement prevents symptoms of anxiety, fear and depression. Manganese, "released" along with tears, significantly improves mood.

Various studies have shown that women cry mainly because of depression, sadness, fatigue, aggression. Men sometimes cry to suppress their feelings, but they do it less often than women. One of the main reasons why women cry more than men is PMS hormones. Spontaneous tears relieve our condition and we feel healthier. Our defense mechanisms do everything to save us from oppression. Crying is really good for our health.

Crying is a manifestation of strong emotions

Crying is a natural phenomenon that often comes from certain emotions, especially grief. Crying is an outward manifestation of strong emotions. The person may also cry out of pain, feelings of weakness, despair, or joy. In any case, the process itself is very important, because it maintains the integrity of physical and mental health.

In addition, tears can appear not only from any emotions, but also from a mote that has fallen into the eye. Thus, they protect and wash the eyes, remove dirt. The lacrimal glands secrete some tears all the time to protect and moisten the eyes. During stress, negativity, they help us cope with stress. If tears appear from joy, then this is also a kind of relief for the body. Those. they can be called emotional release.

Feelings, emotions, compassion, crying all this applies only to a person. We are all people who sometimes tend to cry. In some cases, crying is a means of communication, and this applies to children.

In cases where crying suppresses strong emotions, relief comes for the body. During stress, substances are produced that can weaken the immune system, etc., but tears help to remove them from the body, and they are also excreted through sweat.

If you are experiencing strong emotions, stress, then in this case you cannot keep negativity in yourself. Emotional stress must be thrown out through tears in order to rid oneself of psychological pressure and improve health.

Only after that you need to calm down, and the situation will be resolved. Tears contain endorphins which help to soothe pain and therefore help to calm down crying. It has a calming effect on the body and mind.

Women cry more than men, probably because they are more sensitive to emotions. It is also associated with the hormone prolactin, which women have more. Be that as it may, every person has the right to cry and should not be ashamed of tears.

culture

Have you ever felt that pleasant tiredness after a rich and prolonged laugh? This is a condition in which tears flow from the eyes, the side hurts, it is difficult for you to catch your breath, and your energy is completely used up. You feel like you just finished a two-hour workout in gym.

Laughter and physical training actually have something in common - they are, first of all, contribute to your health. Of course you know the endless benefits active image, but did you know that laughter supports the immune system, improves arterial pressure, stimulates the work of the organs and dulls the pain?

However, regularly watching comedies will not improve your health (in fact, aimless time on the couch will do you more harm than good), but you should not forget that laughter is good for health and smile more often. Indeed, psychineuroimmunology is the field of study of the relationship between human behavior (in this case, laughter) and consciousness, as well as the effects on the immune system.

Nevertheless, the attempt to prove the beneficial effects of laughter was a success, despite the fact that Everyone reacts to humor differently and each person defines humor differently. However, laughter, as a subject of broad scientific analysis, is not the basis of large-scale research, but existing research does give us hope that our jokes do not just make people feel better, they actually make them better. Below are some facts that you can learn by studying that laughter is indeed the best medicine.

Laughter reduces stress

It's very hard to contain your laughter if you suddenly notice how your brother in your kitchen "fell" on his face in a cream pie. While you are laughing hysterically, the only thing that will bother you at this moment is what to serve for dessert.

Levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, tend to drop significantly during bouts of laughter. The active work of these hormones can suppress the immune system, allowing many infections and diseases to do their job. At the same time, the general state of health noticeably worsens. One study found that laughter reduces stress and improves immune function, meaning that laughter can be an extremely beneficial addition to the treatment of HIV-infected patients as well as people suffering from cancer. Immune cells are a type of white blood cells that attack tumor cells and fight those cells that are infected with various viruses.

Due to the physical and emotional stress the hormone prolactin, insulin and other hormones may also be produced, which begin to "function incorrectly." Again, the incompatible work of various hormones at the same time can have a harmful effect on the body. So the next time you feel upset after reading the world news, toss the newspaper aside and read comics to cheer yourself up. You will see how laughter can help you in a difficult situation.

Laughter helps strengthen our abilities

Not everything that happens in life is under our control, and the feeling of helplessness can be very scary and cause great tension. Job loss, negative forecasts, and even a minor accident on the road, all of these tend to happen suddenly, and these are undesirable events for which we can rarely prepare. Laughter is in a good way in order to cope with the unexpected twists and turns of life and help us overcome the shock.

Although we cannot control what happens to us in life at times, we can easily control our reaction to what happens. Responding to troubles with laughter, we protect the mind, body, and spirit, and also do not cause inconvenience to other people. A joyless event, such as, for example, the death of a loved one, will not seem so complicated and hopeless if at least some smiles accompany it.

Laughter improves blood pressure and blood flow

When it comes to heart health, seriousness in this situation can be as dangerous as heart attack. Laughter has been shown to lower blood pressure and increase vascular blood flow. Thus, by "reviving" blood flow and increasing blood oxygen saturation, laughter is a powerful ally in the fight against heart disease.

Researchers at the University of Maryland conducted a study on the relationship between laughter and cardiovascular disease. The results showed that laughter appears to cause expansion of the endothelium, the tissue that acts as a lining for blood vessels. And since the endothelium plays essential role in the fight against atherosclerosis, this discovery is very interesting.

No one would have guessed that heart patients should use humor instead of drugs, but, among other things, laughter can have an amazing therapeutic effect on patients with cardiovascular diseases. As a result, something funny can help not only the heart of the patient, but also his soul.

Laughter increases the effectiveness of sports

The next time you're at the gym, don't be afraid to make fun of the person wearing a 1983 swimsuit.

Once you've made sure the person isn't listening to you, let the laughter go, as it can have an amazing effect on your practice.

According to researchers, laughing 100 times is equivalent to 15 minutes of exercise on a stationary bike or a 10-minute workout on a conventional machine. And you don't have to sweat to have a good laugh!

In addition, being a surge of internal energy, laughter can instantly clear the respiratory system.

Just like when exercising, a person tends to take deep breaths after laughing hard, which helps clear the airways and improve the oxygen supply to the body.

Laughter affects blood sugar

Several small studies have shown that laughter can have a positive effect on blood glucose levels.

In the study, people with type 2 diabetes, as well as healthy people, ate a meal and then went to a boring lecture. The next day, history repeated itself, only they went not to a lecture, but to an entertaining comedy show. The results showed that when watching a comedy show, diabetics did not have an increase in blood sugar levels after eating. The researchers were unable to determine the exact cause of what happened, but they suggest that laughter may affect the neuroendocrine system and keep sugar levels from rising, or it may be due to the rapid consumption of glucose due to the active work of the muscles.

Another study looked at the effects of long-term "laughter therapy" on the functioning of the renin-angiotensin system (regulates blood pressure) in patients with diabetes second type. The results were also impressive as plasma renin levels dropped dramatically, allowing diabetics to avoid microvascular complications.

Laughter rules the pain

Laughter can be one of the best natural pain relievers - it's effective, free, and available everywhere. No prescription needed.

Naturally, laughter is unlikely to help you if you fall off the roof or severely cut your hand, however, it still helps. Laughter "lightens" the feeling of fear and anger, which allows us to better navigate in emergency. In addition, laughter can raise a person's pain threshold through the release of endorphins (peptides that help with pain and are associated with a person's sense of well-being).

Indeed, laughter can serve as a perfect distraction when we are talking about any painful situation. The good feeling left after laughing may last a little longer, even after the pain has subsided.

Laughter improves your social skills

Why do they say that when you laugh, the whole world laughs with you, and when you cry, you cry alone. This is because no one is interested in spending time with a person who does not say anything positive. Only finding humor in life will help you improve your social skills.

Many people believe that it is laughter that connects people and helps them communicate with each other. The more comfortable a person feels with another person, the easier it is for them to laugh. In fact, leading researchers say that a person is 30 times more likely to laugh when surrounded by people than when alone.

If you are traveling to another country and do not know the language, then laughter is a universal way of communicating. Laughter is a universal way to break the ice in a group and include everyone in the fun.

Laughter reduces aggression

Your friends Mark and Mandy have decided to separate, and now, for the first time after a long period, you decided to meet as a threesome. Of course, tension will be felt immediately, and perhaps the first thing that comes to your mind to defuse the situation is to tell a joke.

Laughter is a kind of knife that removes tension, which allows you to relax. You will become calmer and less aggressive, which will help you form a clearer picture of what is going on around you. In one study, students who watched a funny video were much less aggressive in stressful situations.

Liberation negative emotions such as aggression, fear and anger, in favor of positive emotions, such as laughter, gives a person important psychological benefits. Laughter also relaxes the muscles, which reduces stress, which in turn helps people who experience some problems with muscle spasms. This is one of the reasons why some nurses and doctors, before giving an injection, try to cheer up the patient so that he does not strain his muscles.

Laughter stimulates the organs

As mentioned earlier, laughter improves blood circulation, lowers stress hormones in the body, and improves exercise performance. In other words, laughter sends signals to the heart, brain and lungs, thereby stimulating the work of these organs.

Laughter is also believed to aid digestion. Some laughter yoga enthusiasts say this type of therapy can help people with irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.

Laughter strengthens the immune system

One of the biggest reasons to start laughing has to do with our immune system. Maybe one day, laughter will be on par with immune-boosting methods like multivitamins and antibacterial hand soaps.

Reducing stress hormones, improving blood circulation, providing oxygen to the body, and releasing negative emotions can greatly boost your immune responses and help keep you healthy.

For example, it has been proven that laughter increases the level of immunoglobulin in saliva. This important element fights bacteria and infections, especially in respiratory system.

Laughter also keeps the stress hormone under control, and in this case, immune cells do their job very well - they attack potentially cancerous and infected cells.

Other white blood cells that interact positively with laughter are lymphocytes, which are "born" in the bone marrow and are made up of B cells (to fight infections) and T cells (to attack viruses and control immune responses).

American doctors have established that for the general physical health and a positive perception of reality correspond to certain centers. Stimulation of these centers cures many diseases.

A safe and natural method of stimulating these areas is laughter, which inhibits the production of stress hormones in the brain - cortisone and adrenaline.

This increases the production of neurotransmitters: serotonin and dopamine, and the "happiness hormone" - endorphin, which are a vital medicine for people prone to depression and chronic fatigue.

Doctors think:

Laughter is a harmless drug that causes euphoria for a long time. The higher its dose, the greater the benefits of laughter, the better for health. Sometimes a positive charge is enough for the whole day.

An interesting history of the emergence of gelotology - the science of laughter (with Greek gelos - laughter):

its founder, American Norman Cousins, found fame as a man who "made death laugh."

Suffering from a rare bone disease, he was unable to find help from doctors who were powerless. Norman, having finally decided to have a good laugh, retired and started watching comedies, reading jokes, combining this activity with the reception vitamin C.

The result surprised the whole world: the journalist was cured of terrible disease, defining treatment method like "Superdose of Laughter and Superdose of Vitamin C".

So, in the 70s of the twentieth century, the beginning of a serious study of laughter as the most powerfulbody reserve.

Currently, the number of laughter therapists in the United States has exceeded 600 people. Hospitals have laugh rooms where hopelessly ill patients watch classic comedies, performances by comedians and comedians. This practice often returns to patients the desire to resist the disease and live.

Also in the USA there are Centers for laughter, where group sessions are held and where Americans go, as if on a holiday. "" Laughing is 30 times easier than being alone.

Laughter and breath

The end result after laughter is similar to breathing exercises yoga: blood supply to tissues and organs increases, blood pressure returns to normal, well-being and mood improve.

inhale during laughter it becomes deeper and longer, exhalation becomes more intense and shorter, due to which the lungs are completely freed from air. Gas exchange accelerates three to four times, cholesterol decreases, blood pressure normalizes, and headaches may subside.

belly laugh

Very useful exercise that shakes abdominal cavity and massages the internal organs, ensuring good health. This is how newborns breathe, over time this innate skill of deep abdominal breathing is forgotten and replaced by a fast superficial one, in which only the upper sections of the lungs take part.

How to call: sit on a chair, straighten your back, put your feet shoulder-width apart, put your hands on your stomach. You can turn on a funny comedy and try to laugh so that your hands feel how your stomach sways.

Smile and laugh more often

When smiling, facial muscles contract, which is directly related to blood supply. In addition, the face of a smiling person is more pleasant in communication than a frown.

But what about those people who, as they think, do not know how to laugh? Doctors, in this case, advise doing it artificially for 5-10 minutes, which will ensure necessary work facial muscles, which means - food for the brain.

Laughter and exercise

Laughter is a very effective gymnastics. When we laugh, 80 muscle groups work: the shoulders move, the muscles of the neck, face and back relax, the diaphragm vibrates, the pulse quickens. One minute of laughter is equal in terms of the degree of load on the body to 25 minutes of fitness.

The fact of a positive effect on the cardiac system has been proven: laughing people are 40% less at risk of cardiovascular diseases than gloomy ones.

Laughter in the fight against cancer

The book "Laughter cures cancer" was published in Austria. The author, Sigmund Feyerabend, says:

laughter and illness reflect the worldview of a person. Laughter does not tolerate falsehood, it is born in the depths of the soul. Cancer can be beaten with sincere laughter.

Strengthening protective functions during laughter, inhibits the development of malignant tumors.

Laughter beats allergies

confirmed by experiment. Allergy sufferers were given allergen injections and sent to watch a comedy starring Charlie Chaplin. An hour and a half after the start of the film, the result was visible: a decrease in skin manifestations of allergies.

The mechanism of action of laughter is not exactly known, apparently a positive attitude strengthens the body's immunity.

Contraindications for excessive laughter

Too long and violent laughter should be moderated by people suffering from:

  • hernia,
  • lung diseases (chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia),
  • eye diseases,
  • with the threat of miscarriage during pregnancy,
  • complications after surgery.

In these cases, the manifestations of fun should be restrained so as not to strain the muscles and internal organs.

Laugh to live

There are many cases when, thanks to a sense of humor and self-control, people defeated an incurable disease (a vivid example of Norman Cousins) or found a way out of a difficult situation.

Practical Americans have put humor at the service of society: “humor seminars” are held for the management of well-known firms and the US Air Force command.

It is at work that a person is more susceptible stressful situations . The more pressure on the psyche workers experience, the more fragile their nervous system becomes. Some enterprises conduct "humorobiki" trainings. They may offer the following exercise: stand up straight - take a deep breath - laugh.

Humor is hard work

Problems appear by themselves, and the ability to rejoice should be cultivated in oneself. It is important to be able to feel the absurdity of failure or misfortune in any situation.

Here is an example from life:

one lady carries around a clown nose in the glove box. When she gets into a traffic jam after work, and from fatigue, she puts it on and watches the reaction of other drivers. A proven way to defuse the situation and save nerve cells!

Take every opportunity to laugh. Learn to see the comic in life. Keep feeling in any circumstances and love life in all its manifestations!

To sleep well at night, the stress of the day should be relieved at all costs, leading sleep experts advise.

I think a dose of healthy and sincere laughter is a great .

For a positive mood, I suggest watching a wonderful video, I'm sure it will help you smile:

Feeling overwhelmed? Just smile and Bad mood leave like never before! Feel free to laugh and you will be amazed at how your life and your health will change.

Health Benefits of Laughter

A good good laugh is useful not only because it cheers you up. People who like to laugh get sick less, get irritated less often and don't know what depression is.

LAUGHTER CAUSES

Laughter releases endorphins, the hormones of happiness that help to get rid of irritation and sadness. Even if you just remember for a moment how you laughed recently, your mood will improve. Studies by British psychologists have shown that after watching a funny movie, the level of irritation in a person decreases several times. Moreover, the mood of the subjects rose at the mere thought that they would soon be laughing - two days before the scheduled viewing of the comedy, they were angry twice as often as usual.


LAUGHTER IMPROVES SKIN

What are the other benefits of laughter? If you laugh a lot, you can forget about expensive beauty treatments to improve your skin, because laughter tones the muscles of the face and improves blood circulation, which results in a natural glow.

LAUGHTER STRENGTHENS RELATIONSHIPS

The ability to laugh together is extremely important for establishing good and good relations. The connection of people and their shared idea of ​​what can be funny allows them to be more open with each other. If you're joking, don't be afraid to be funny. It means you trust.

LAUGHTER INCREASES IMMUNITY

Laughter helps fight infections - this is such a benefit for a person. After a minute of sincere laughter, the body releases a large amount of antibodies into the respiratory tract, which protect against bacteria and viruses. Laughter also increases the production of white blood cells that fight various diseases, including cancer.


LAUGHTER HEALTHY HEART

Thanks to laughter, blood vessels expand and blood circulates better. Ten minutes of laughter can significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of plaque buildup. Laughter helps even those who have experienced a heart attack - doctors believe that good mood reduces the likelihood of a second attack.

LAUGHTER RELIEVES PAIN

Happiness hormones, endorphins, which are produced when a person laughs, are the natural painkillers of our body. In addition, when you laugh, you are distracted from feeling bad and forget about the pain for at least a few minutes. Doctors have long noticed that patients who are positive and find the strength to laugh endure pain much more easily than those who are sad.

LAUGHTER DEVELOPS THE LUNGS

Laughter is one of the best exercises for people suffering from asthma and bronchitis. During laughter, the activity of the lungs is activated, and thus the supply of oxygen to the blood is increased, which makes it possible to clear the stagnation of phlegm. Some Doctors Compare the Effects of Laughter to Physical Therapy chest, which eliminates phlegm from the respiratory tract, but for people, laughter has an even better effect on the respiratory tract.


LAUGHTER CONQUERS STRESS

British scientists have studied the effect of laughter on people's health. Two groups of volunteers were created. One group was shown recordings of humorous concerts for an hour, while the second group was asked to just sit quietly. After that, the participants in the experiment took a blood test. And it was found that those who watched the humorous concert had lower levels of the “stress” hormones cortisol, dopamine and adrenaline than the second group. The fact is that when we laugh, it intensifies exercise stress to all parts of the body. When we stop laughing, our body relaxes and calms down. So, laughter helps us get rid of physical and emotional stress. Scientists say that a minute of sincere laughter is equivalent to forty-five minutes of deep relaxation.

LAUGHTER HELPS YOU BE IN FIT

In fact, laughing is a form of aerobic exercise because laughing brings in more oxygen, which stimulates the heart and blood circulation. It is even considered "internal" aerobics, since during laughter everyone is massaged. internal organs which allows them to work more efficiently. Laughter is also good for strengthening the muscles in your stomach, back, and legs. One minute of laughter is the equivalent of ten minutes of rowing or fifteen minutes of cycling. And if you laugh heartily for one hour, you will burn up to 500 calories, the same amount you can burn by running fast for an hour.

A HAPPY WAY TO A HAPPY LIFE

Today, researchers believe that only 50% of our ability to be happy is genetic. "Rules happy person” will help you realize your potential, teach you to enjoy life and give you the opportunity to laugh more often. And besides, laughter prolongs life!

BE EXTRAVERT

Be talkative, confident and not afraid of adventure. Where to begin? For example, from a walk in the woods with old friends. Have fun, make jokes and don't be afraid to express your emotions.

TALK MORE

Studies have shown that people who are open about their thoughts are happier than those who are silent. This does not mean that you have to say everything that is on your mind. Just learn to speak your mind and stand up for it - it will help you feel happier.


TALK MORE WITH FRIENDS

Friendship is the real source of happiness. If you have friends you can rely on, you don't feel lonely. Moreover, psychologists say that for happiness, women need warm relationship with other women. Contrary to popular belief, female friendships have a stronger influence on us than relationships with men.

DONT WAIT FOR ANYTHING

The expectation of happiness is the greatest obstacle to happiness. I will be happy when I lose weight / move to a new apartment / move to a new job / find the man of my dreams. Focus on what you have and be happy right now. And beware of any “when” and “still”: they are the ones that prevent you from being happy.

TAKE LAUGHTER SERIOUSLY

Set yourself a very serious goal - to laugh every day. Think of laughter as a vitamin to be taken regularly. Are you not in the mood for jokes, because there is not enough time anyway? Here is what we can offer:
  • an evening on the couch watching your favorite comedies;
  • nice dinner with friends;
  • going to the cinema or to an amusement park with children (even the sight of children rejoicing will make you laugh with pleasure);
  • talking on the phone "about nothing" with a cheerful girlfriend;
  • trips to the shops at least once every two weeks in search of new funny books and magazines to have a lot of fun.