(well, not all, but to most of our problems ?)
The present government here have - last year - reported that findings prepared by sociologists / psychologists to say that true happiness is worth much more than money.
Today, I saw this article from :-http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2835687.stm
French laugh away their troubles
By Hugh Schofield
In Paris
They have become the latest craze in Paris and other French cities.
Twenty-six have been set up in the last year - and thousands of people have taken part.
Shrug off your troubles through laughter
They are called the "clubs de rire", where following the teachings of an Indian guru you can go to shrug off your troubles through the power of... laughter.
The gloomy state of the world today is proving a powerful recruiting sergeant.
The laughter may sound like the soundtrack to a Hieronymus Bosch depiction of the underworld, but the participants are a genial bunch in socks and slacks.
They have paid three euros a head to learn about techniques like the Lion Laugh, or the Chuckle Contest - and they say it really works. People who phone me say I don't love, I'm sad. I want to love, I want to forget my problems. I want to come to see you and try it
Jocelyne Le Moan
Laugh Club
"I love it, you know it's a kind of experience that really changed my life because I re-found my laugh," said one man.
"It's so relaxing, it's incredibly relaxing," said another. "At the end of a session you feel completely calm."
Unhappy world
A woman in the group agreed that the prospect of war and terrorism was adding to people's stress.
"There is something around here which is not very pleasant, so this kind of therapy is very good for that, and everybody should do it and smile a little bit more," she said.
Indeed the threat of war with Iraq, the ongoing fears of terrorism, the foul atmosphere between France and the United States have all boosted membership - according to Jocelyne Le Moan, a nurse who started this club a few months ago and now has constant enquiries from the public.
"The world is not very happy," she said.
"People who phone me say I don't love, I'm sad. I want to love, I want to forget my problems. I want to come to see you and try it."
'Embrace the fear'
The end of the session is when members lie on the ground and embark on what is called laughing meditation.
War fears have boosted the clubs' membership
They say it opens the spirit - makes them see the world in a more positive spirit - no bad thing, according to Anne Maurigiano, a regular, in the face of the all-pervasive sense of fear.
She said: "When you feel more confident of yourself, you can embrace better the fear that comes to you, and laughing is actually a way to feel more confident, so the more you laugh, the more you feel more calm and relaxed with your body and mind, so maybe you can be more open and be not scared.
A group hug-in at the end of the hour, and participants are ready to face another week of stress... some just cannot seem to stop though, and just as they are saying goodbye to each other - in a slightly manic fashion - the laughing suddenly starts all over again.
What do you all think ? Is therre a message here that we could all take on board ?
The present government here have - last year - reported that findings prepared by sociologists / psychologists to say that true happiness is worth much more than money.
Today, I saw this article from :-http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2835687.stm
French laugh away their troubles
By Hugh Schofield
In Paris
They have become the latest craze in Paris and other French cities.
Twenty-six have been set up in the last year - and thousands of people have taken part.
Shrug off your troubles through laughter
They are called the "clubs de rire", where following the teachings of an Indian guru you can go to shrug off your troubles through the power of... laughter.
The gloomy state of the world today is proving a powerful recruiting sergeant.
The laughter may sound like the soundtrack to a Hieronymus Bosch depiction of the underworld, but the participants are a genial bunch in socks and slacks.
They have paid three euros a head to learn about techniques like the Lion Laugh, or the Chuckle Contest - and they say it really works. People who phone me say I don't love, I'm sad. I want to love, I want to forget my problems. I want to come to see you and try it
Jocelyne Le Moan
Laugh Club
"I love it, you know it's a kind of experience that really changed my life because I re-found my laugh," said one man.
"It's so relaxing, it's incredibly relaxing," said another. "At the end of a session you feel completely calm."
Unhappy world
A woman in the group agreed that the prospect of war and terrorism was adding to people's stress.
"There is something around here which is not very pleasant, so this kind of therapy is very good for that, and everybody should do it and smile a little bit more," she said.
Indeed the threat of war with Iraq, the ongoing fears of terrorism, the foul atmosphere between France and the United States have all boosted membership - according to Jocelyne Le Moan, a nurse who started this club a few months ago and now has constant enquiries from the public.
"The world is not very happy," she said.
"People who phone me say I don't love, I'm sad. I want to love, I want to forget my problems. I want to come to see you and try it."
'Embrace the fear'
The end of the session is when members lie on the ground and embark on what is called laughing meditation.
War fears have boosted the clubs' membership
They say it opens the spirit - makes them see the world in a more positive spirit - no bad thing, according to Anne Maurigiano, a regular, in the face of the all-pervasive sense of fear.
She said: "When you feel more confident of yourself, you can embrace better the fear that comes to you, and laughing is actually a way to feel more confident, so the more you laugh, the more you feel more calm and relaxed with your body and mind, so maybe you can be more open and be not scared.
A group hug-in at the end of the hour, and participants are ready to face another week of stress... some just cannot seem to stop though, and just as they are saying goodbye to each other - in a slightly manic fashion - the laughing suddenly starts all over again.
What do you all think ? Is therre a message here that we could all take on board ?
