i-TFTD #319: Laughter and Tears

#319-1. I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me  cry.
-Cat Stevens, stage name of Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou), English musician and philanthropist (1948-)

#319-2. The man who can make others laugh secures more votes for a measure than the man who forces them to  think.
-Malcolm De Chazal, writer and painter (1902-1981)

#319-3. Laughter and tears are meant to turn the wheels of the same machinery of sensibility; one is wind-power, and the other water-power.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, novelist, essayist and physician (1809-1894)

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Children laugh and cry easily. Is it! a coincidence that they are also more creative, make friends easily and enjoy life more?

For too long the prevalent belief has been that a sense of humor is an optional personality trait that some people seem to have. Martin Seligman, eminent psychologist, realized at the age of 50 that he had been a grumpy person and that there are ways in which this can be unlearned. He went on to create positive psychology as a new branch of study.

Tears are associated with crying and pain but they are equally common in happy situations such as relief, gratitude and deep aesthetic appreciation.