By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3
There are less than 100 days until the election, which means the next three months will be filled with people yelling about politics on television, radio, and podcasts. There’ll be plenty of furious ALL CAPS typing on social media, too.
The issues are important, but all the back-and-forth theatrics are exhausting.
Most of us will need coping mechanisms to get through the next few months, and laughter should be at the top of the list. In the northern part of Japan called Yamagata, the local government passed an ordinance encouraging residents to laugh daily. The exact wording of the new rule says people should “make efforts to shape mental and physical health through means such as laughing once a day.”
Just to be clear, there are no penalties for not laughing. I looked it up, and there’s no jail time for being a Grumpy Gus. You can’t be ticketed for aggressive moping, and there are no fines for frowning.
The decree was developed after a research study by the Yamagata School of Medicine found that laughing out loud at least once a week has several health benefits. It’s good for your heart. It helps you live longer. It boosts immunity. And it even burns calories and strengthens your abdomen. (Knock, knock. Who’s 
there? Jokes instead of sit-ups. Yay!)
Officials in Japan went even further by asking local businesses to create environments where laughing is welcomed. And on the eighth day of each month, the community is asked to celebrate a “day of laughter.”
Proving that politicians can argue about literally anything, some officials launched a backlash to the ordinance by saying that it violates constitutional law. Those in favor of the law responded by basically saying to lighten up. No one gets penalized for having zero sense of humor. Yet still, the arguing over laughing will likely continue.
The laughing ordinance is not the most unusual piece of legislation to ever be passed. There was once a town law in America banning people from giving a lit cigarette to a monkey. Another local law in a California town said that you can’t ride a bike in a swimming pool. Another rule banned falling asleep in a cheese factory.
I like the idea behind this one-of-a-kind laughing law. I’d love to see a Department of Motor Vehicles where the mood is light and friendly instead of the usual “You will die here” vibe.
The funny thing is that we humans usually find what we look for. If you go through the day looking for a reason to laugh, you’re likely to find it. If you spend the day looking for something to gripe about, you’ll find that, too.
I’ve decided to balance all this election intensity with a regular dose of funny dog videos – the one redeeming element left on social media. Cat, bird, raccoon, and bear videos are welcome, too. Throw in a few unlikely animal friendship videos, and I’m as happy as a puppy in a ball pit.
And congratulations to the people of Yamagata, Japan, for realizing that laughter is an important part of a good life. We should all look for opportunities to do more of it.
Gwen Rockwood is a syndicated freelance columnist. Email her at gwenrockwood5@gmail.com. Her book is available on Amazon.
