World Laughter Day
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2009) |
World Laughter Day takes place on the first Sunday of May of every year .[1] The first celebration was on January 10, 1998, in Mumbai, India, and was arranged by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.[2]
Laughter Yoga says: Laughter is a positive and powerful emotion that has all the ingredients required for individuals to change themselves and to change the world in a peaceful and positive way.
The day is now celebrated worldwide.[2][3]
History
World Laughter Day was created in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.[2] Dr. Kataria, a family doctor in India, was inspired to start the Laughter Yoga movement in part by the facial feedback hypothesis, which postulates that a person's facial expressions can have an effect on their emotions.[2][4] The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter.[3] It is most often celebrated by gatherings of people in public places with the sole purpose of laughing.[2] Its popularity has grown exponentially [when?] with that of the Laughter Yoga movement now counting thousands of Laughter Clubs in more than 105 countries.
References
- ^ Monica Guzman (2009-05-01). "Harborview to mark World Laughter Day". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
- ^ a b c d e Nerenberg, Albert. "World Laughter Day: How a Laughing Fit Sparked an International Movement". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Ritman, Alex (May 6, 2012). "It's World Laughter Day". The National. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^ Grinnell, Renee. "Facial Feedback Hypothesis". psychcentral.com. Retrieved July 24, 2015.