Kris Vallotton • Apr 17, 2020

4 Scientific Reasons to Be the Happiest Person on the Planet (Despite Hard Times)

SERIOUS JOY


Did you know that Christians should be the happiest people on the planet? I know what you may be wondering, why am I writing about being upbeat and merry amid this overshadowing COVID-19 cloud of doom and gloom? First, let me be clear that I’m in no way glossing over the reality that there has been a rapid, tragic loss of life! Nor am I dismissing that families are immensely struggling due to the hard-hitting jabs this virus has thrown at our economy. Still, I've learned a thing or two about the seriousness of joy, especially in the midst of challenging seasons. I'd like to propose that if there was ever a time to inoculate our culture with hope and truth, it's now.

Solomon said it thousands of years ago: “ A joyful heart is good medicine ” (Proverbs 17:22). However, modern medicine has only been seriously studying the specific benefits of joy and the energizing effects of laughter for about thirty years. In their research, they’ve uncovered countless stories of people who intentionally kept their spirits high through the use of humor to survive POW camps, war, illness, trauma, as well as the daily grind at stressful jobs. In fact, concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl saw firsthand how humor was a powerful survival skill that enabled him and other prisoners to hold on to hope and purpose through the darkest time of their lives. Frankl said, “Humor, more than anything else in the human makeup, affords an aloofness and an ability to rise above any situation, even if only for a few seconds.”  

My point is, joy is seriously a laughing matter! The impact it has on surviving extreme and uncertain times is a cure-all that I believe comes straight from the belly laugh of God himself. 

DOUBLE ANOINTING & ONE-THIRD OF THE KINGDOM


Think about it—Jesus prayed, “ I come to You [Father]; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves ” (John 17:13). Jesus wants us to be full of His joy! Hebrews 1:9 says that Jesus was anointed with joy beyond His companions. This means that Jesus was happier than the people He hung out with. Now that’s a lot of joy! 

To make us even happier, God sent His Holy Spirit into our lives to comfort us. The Holy Spirit has a happy knack for supernaturally lifting our burdens. But wait, it gets even better. The Bible says that the fruit or evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in us is “ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . . .” (Galatians 5:22–23). There is that joy word again. We have both the joy of Jesus and the joy of the Holy Spirit. Did you get that? We have been given a double anointing for joy!

Now if that does not get you excited, then how about this: “ The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit ” (Romans 14:17). Wow, one-third of the Kingdom is joy! The apostle Peter said that we should “ greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory ” (1 Peter 1:8). But unfortunately, joy is a foreign reality for many Christians because demonic spirits, especially during perilous times, have deviously crept into their souls and stolen the happy and abundant life that Jesus purchased for them. 

With that in mind, I believe the world is in a prime time right now to recognize and receive the power and value of the God-given gift of joy . Can you imagine what it would be like when God’s supernatural joy infused with His miraculous power hits an entire planet of people that are experiencing a global crisis? I propose that when the Body of Christ imparts to the world the joy of the Creator, we will see a massive outbreak of healing and reconciliation. The pandemic of fear and distress will be replaced with joy and peace! 

4 REASONS TO BE HAPPY AND LAUGH


It is time for the Church of the living God to become a proverbial pharmacy (Proverbs 17:22) —distributing and dispensing joy to all those we come in contact with. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the side effects of this “prescription” would be holy laughter—one of the manifestations of God’s joy. Why? Because what cannot be expressed in words is often manifested in laughter. It is just really hard to be extremely joyful and not laugh! People have always known that laughter—good, honest belly laughter, of course; not the mocking kind—makes you feel better. It’s an age-old remedy that God uses to heal His people of a broken spirit and guide them into wholeness. Laughter also brings physical healing to our bodies, too! 

Unconvinced? Here are 4 ways that science proves laughter is good medicine:
  1. Laughter essentially does the same thing as a workout —it gets our lungs breathing more deeply, our hearts pumping faster and many of our muscles engaged, thereby improving our circulation and blood pressure. (Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins)

  2. Laughter relaxes our bodies and stops our brains from producing stress hormones. In 2005, doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center declared that laughter is some of the “best medicine” for protecting us from America’s leading cause of death, heart disease because it prevents stress from deteriorating the lining of our blood vessels.
     
  3. Laughter activates our immune systems and prevents us from being vulnerable to disease. Studies have shown that laughter increases our natural defenses against cancer, viruses and upper-respiratory problems . It also stimulates helpful disease-fighting agents.

  4. Laughter and humor are also vital tools for creating and sustaining mental and emotional health, which, of course, directly affects our physical health. The many stresses we experience produce negative emotions like fear, grief, and anger. Unless those are processed through cathartic releases like laughing, crying or yelling, they make us toxic in body and mind. On the emotional and mental levels, laughter diffuses negative thoughts and emotions; it also produces positive emotions like hope and elation and allows us to create new, more optimistic perspectives on our circumstances. (The Lighter Path to Resilience and Health, Paul McGhee)

I understand that it can seem counterintuitive to laugh when life seems anything but funny, but the real power of laughter is experienced not so much in life’s funny circumstances but rather in the difficult ones. Laughter is an act of moving in the “opposite spirit” of the circumstances we face, and can become a skill by which people can cope with stress and stay healthy—a skill that happens, by the way, to be a key component of emotional intelligence.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm certain that the entire globe could use an injection of joy right about now! If that's you, I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit to guide you through these times because joy WILL BE your outcome (since it’s a fruit of the Spirit). I'd like also to suggest that you find any opportunity to have a good laugh at all the lies that may be attempting to rob you of the peace, joy, and righteousness that Jesus Christ bought and paid for! Also, don’t miss the opportunity to bring joy into the lives of others: jump on a call with your family or friends, play an online game with them, or share some laughs over a funny viral video. You’ll be glad you did, and I bet you’ll physically feel better too! 

Here are a few more resources on joy , taking care of your soul , and finding joy in your marriage that I believe can help you cultivate a culture of joy within your heart, home, and family. 


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