Laughter World Championship

Who knew that laughing was a competitive sport? And what makes a winning laugh? Carla Brown (who has been the National Laughing Champion for two years running) recently finished first against competitors from Asia, Europe and the Americas in the World Laughing Championship! Her Diabolical Laugh, Sexy Laugh, ROFL and Contagious Laughter helped her win the title. Brown, who calls herself a recovering serious person, says the competition is really about conjuring laughter when there’s nothing specific to laugh at. “I’ve been teaching and practicing these tools for so long, it’s a part of me now,” the trailblazing laughter yogi says. The idea behind her laughter and grief yoga is that the very act of laughing — even if, maybe especially if, you don’t feel like it — can regulate your mood, break patterns of negative thoughts, relieve stress and tension, and lead to lasting joy and contentment.