Shut up and smile

Do you ever wish in the middle of a fight, the experience of a bad attitude or seeing various harmful or downright mean things done around campus, that everyone would just stop, take a look around, get over themselves and smile? It seems like a perfectly plausible solution that will bring a little more peace to our everyday lives: Just shut up and smile. It reads like that old cliche: "Can't we all just get along?" And why not? What would it take for IU students to drop their old disputes and just be happy?\nBowling for Soup says that "All we need is love and beer, and old-school metal and holiday cheer, to be happy." Old-school metal needs no explanation, and holiday cheer generally has a euphoric sense associated with it. And, of course, beer is a necessary component. It is not uncommon down on Kirkwood Avenue to see a group of complete strangers sitting around laughing until they cry because they have spent their evening throwing back a few. It definitely seems to be a happiness instigator. Beer is not only beneficial to those who consume it. Where would the rest of the world be without the glorious Budweiser commercials released throughout the year? Whether it be images of a football game played by horses being interrupted by a streaking sheep or the agreement of a pretty girl to let a guy date both her and her roommate, the laughter that is produced by Budweiser is beneficial to good moodmaking. It seems that the rock band is right. Those things are all we need to be happy.\nSo why be happy? Why laugh whenever possible? Besides the obvious benefits that are hard to argue with (it just makes people feel better), there are wonderful results of laughter that many might not consider. According to the Web site of self-proclaimed "humor therapist" and "internet comic," Neil Baxter (www.freewebs.com/laughtertherapy/), through studies of laughter and practice of "humor therapy" -- "the therapeutic process which claims beneficial effects from the use of positive emotions associated with laughter" -- science has found that laughter can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, release endorphins and boost the immune system. Not only is being in a good mood fun and generally better than hatred, it's also very healthy for these reasons. Also, Kathy Overman's 2004 book "Laugh It Off! Weight Loss for the Fun of It" shows how, after deciding to attempt to use laughter as a means of weight loss, she lost 35 pounds by laughing it off. A great way to have fun and stay in shape. According to William Fry, an associate professor emeritus of clinical psychiatry at Stanford University, "Laughing 100 to 200 times per day is the cardiovascular equivalent of rowing for 10 minutes." That's a pretty good workout!\nSo the next time you see someone down in the dumps or fighting, take Bowling for Soup's advice: "Tell all the haters that they should just shut up and smile"