WOLFISM XXV from Wolfie's blog

The Glamour of Mirth:

“Blessed are they who laugh, for they know the great truth.”

If this is your first “Glamour” post, read the Note at the bottom before proceeding.

Laughter is contagious. This is well known. It is also well known that laughter relieves tension and can even, briefly, overcome fatigue. What many don’t know is this: laughter is a magnet. It attracts people to our side and even to our cause. The natural human instinct is to draw near to mirth and to feel comfortable around it, all else being equal. Unless you’re in a very unnatural, neurotic, rigid, or dangerous situation, my advice to you will be to relax the metaphorical sphincter that won’t let you burst out with raucous amusement. People will “magically” be drawn to you like moths to a flame.

Why is this so? Evolution. Our natural instincts evolved over tens of millions of years to respond in several relevant ways.

First, mirth is a form of pleasure. It releases endorphins. Pleasure has been a compass for living things for as long as there have been neurochemicals. Like the mouse, the walrus, and the gibbon, we draw near and hover in proximity to that which feels good to us. And remember, laughter is contagious.

Secondly, nature has selected for mirth. This is unsurprising, because, as scientific studies have demonstrated, happy people make good choices. It is scientifically verified that people who are generally happy are better able to think long term. People who are generally unhappy find it hard to get out of short-term thinking, which is the domain of stupidity. Anything that causes us to lean toward a pro-survival and pro-success mindset has been selected for. It is only the Superego, working hand in hand with prior trauma, that gets in the way.

Thirdly, mirth is a sign of strength. Only the strong find it easy to laugh. The weak may accomplish it sporadically but overall they can’t rise to the occasion. They lack the ferocity. Make no mistake: It is the ferocious who know best how to laugh, and people flock to them, because they know instinctively it is good to be in the pride of the strongest lion.

Throw your head back and laugh! ISCHYROS DIAVOLOS!

Note:

Any of the “Bad Attitudes” from WOLFISM XIX can form the nucleus of a catharsis ritual, but only if it speaks to you and only if you’re able to have fun with it. If the one identified above meets those criteria for you, then make it the core of a cathartic ritual for yourself, and perform it. The effect of repeated performances over as long a time as feels right to you, will be to kill the part of your Superego that functions as the jailer of your natural instinct for mirth.

I use the word “glamour” in its archaic sense, and I use the British spelling because it’s more likely (at least for us Americans) to conjure up archaic connotations. Vampires were said to have the power of glamour.