Discussion Topic - Laughing
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Discussion Topic - Laughing.
Part 1 - Introduction & Interview:
Q. 1. What kinds of thing make you laugh?
Answer: A good and witty joke, funny and comedy movies, funny videos, funny animal behaviours and activities, along with giggling and funny activities of the kids, funny cartoons and funny pictures, among other things, make me laugh.
Q. 2. Do you like making other people laugh? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Yes, I like to make other people laugh because of a number of reasons. First, if I am in a very awkward or unnecessarily serious situation, I try to make other people laugh to help people loosen up a little. Secondly, if people are angry and having a very heated conversation, I try to crack a joke in order to make people relax a little before things go out of control.
Q. 3. Do you think it’s important for people to laugh? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: Yes, I do think that it is absolutely essential for people to laugh primarily because it helps people ease their tension and worries of their daily life. Research also shows that laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies and thus improving our resistance to disease.
Q. 4. Is laughing the same as feeling happy, do you think? [Why/Why not?]
Answer: No, I don’t necessarily think that laughing is the same as feeling happy because some people may laugh even if he/she is not happy because he/she doesn’t want others to understand his or her pain. Then, there are some people who like to laugh no matter how unpleasant the circumstances are around them.
Part 3 - Details Discussion:
Q. 1. Should we laugh as much as possible? Why?/Why not?
Answer: People, including many medical doctors, say that laughter is the best medicine when it comes to enjoying better health. In fact, a good laugh relieves physical tension and stress by leaving our muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. Laughter boosts the immune system by decreasing our stress hormones while also increasing our immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, and thus improving our resistance to disease. Besides, like aerobic exercise, laughing changes the way we breathe, making our heart pump harder and increasing blood flow to the brain and body. And, as for the important social benefits, laughter helps us to make friends easily by drawing them closer to us because of our happy and positive outlook.
Q. 2. In what situations, laughter and humour can bring people together?
Answer: In numerous situations, laughter and humour can bring people together. For example, when two people are fighting over some trivial or unimportant issues, a joke or laughter can calm things down before the situation getting out of control. Sometimes, some serious conflicts between a husband and wife can be resolved through some timely humour and laughter. Finally, even some steady relationship can benefit greatly from laughter and humour as the practice would cement a bond between them in even a stronger manner. However, when using laughter or humour to bring people together, it should be well-advised to understand the gravity of the situation, lest the situation becomes more tense and worse.
Q. 3. Is humour easy to translate from one language to other? Why?/Why not?
Answer: Well, to tell the truth, no subject matter is really easy to translate from one language to another. But, when it comes to translating humour, it is even more difficult because if we are unfamiliar with the original themes of the jokes or popular linguistic terms for them, it is very possible that the jokes would probably backfire or be misconstrued as an insult to the local crowds. After all, it is the language that defines the cultural makeup and sense of humour of a people. Even the gesture or facial expressions become a critical issue when we try to “tell” a joke to people from other languages they may carry a different meaning in their culture. Forget about translating jokes of one language to another, even the British and American citizens, who speak the same language, often struggle to understand each other’s jokes.
Q. 4. Why laughter is sometimes contagious?
Answer: Well, isn’t it true that we all like to be happy? And, is there a better way to express our happiness than using a hearty laugh? In my humble opinion, the answer is “no”. In fact, many neuroscientists say that our brains respond to the sound of laughter, unlike anything else, which, in turn, prepares the muscle of the faces to join the excitement and mirth. Anyway, it’s a good thing that laughter is contagious because it brings positive energy around us. Besides, laughter makes people appear to be open and receptive to all kinds of communication. Finally, if laughter wasn’t contagious, we would have a society full of depressed and sad people, which wouldn’t exactly be an ideal scenario for society, in my opinion.
Q. 5. It is often said that "laughter is the best cure". How far do you agree with it? Why?/Why not?
Answer: Well, I do agree with the suggestion which says that “laughter is the best cure” to some extent because, in some research, it has been proved that laughter reduces stress hormones and develops immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies which, in turn, enhance our defence against many diseases. Besides, Laughter triggers the release of a “natural feel-good chemicals” called endorphins in our body which helps promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve some pain sometimes. But, can laughter solely cure us of all our pains and diseases in the long run? Well, I doubt it.
Q. 6. Do you think smile and humour are sometimes subjects to interpretation? Why?/Why not?
Answer: Yes, I do agree that smile and humour are sometimes subjects to interpretation, primarily because we all are different people with a different kind of mindsets, lifestyles and upbringings. Some of us like to smile even in a tough time while some people easily express their problems to others. The same joke makes some people laugh, while many of them struggle to get it and some feel offended. So, it is all about interpretations.
Besides, the personal circumstances, times and place may also play an important role in the interpretation of our smiles and humour. For example, if a person makes some funny jokes or remarks to cheer up a “terribly ill” person, the ill person may just find it a bit offensive, probably because he is in some pain. There can be many other examples like that to prove that smile and humour are indeed sometimes subjects to interpretation.
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