By Charlotte Lankard

Published: October 8, 2009

 Her topic was "Eight Reasons Why We Can’t Lighten Up.” Beside each, I’ve added a comment.

1. We’re too busy. Let’s face it, will we ever not be busy? Maybe at our funeral.

2. We’re afraid of what they may say. I don’t know who "they” are, but they sure stop the laughter for a lot of people.

3. The committee is meeting. Many of us are filled with critics who live inside us and want us to be terminally serious adults.

4. We need to be right. It’s hard to laugh if we’re always proving a point.

5. We have a tendency to judge and criticize. This comes up a lot, doesn’t it?

6. We’ve got too many rules and regulations. When we behave like drill sergeants, and life is a forced march, it becomes difficult to chuckle.

7. We need to suffer before, during and after anything stressful. Could it be that suffering in many cases is a choice?

8. We’ve got too much ego. When we’re overinflated, we can’t laugh because we’re afraid we’ll lose our sense of importance.

LaRoche wishes physicians would write a prescription for patients: Have 100 belly laughs and call me in the morning.

One doctor did. Dr. Madan Kataria from Mumbai, India, is popularly known as the "Guru of Giggling.” In 1995, he invited five patients to join him in a public park for the sole reason of laughing together for half an hour.

It began with a forced "ha-ha-ha” but soon spread like a virus. It has become a worldwide movement with more than 6,000 Laughter Yoga Clubs in more than 60 countries. Participants report improved health and decreased feelings of stress.

If you want to add daily doses of laughter to your life, a good place to begin is to read LaRoche’s book "Life Is Short — Wear Your Party Pants.”

Charlotte Lankard, a licensed marriage and family therapist, is in private practice with Baptist Counseling Associates. Her Web site is www.charlottelankard.com.