“I don’t care about making money. I don’t want more possessions or new cars or the latest I phone. I’m not interested in politics or driven by any status I might be able to achieve. I am constantly in search for one thing and one thing only. I’m looking for the next great belly laugh!”

These are the words recently spoken to me by a friend named Mark, and they profoundly charged a thought in my mind to write this column.

After doing further research about laughter, Help Guide.org revealed the effect it can have upon our lives.

“Laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner.”

Wow. Something that we all have the ability to do can do all of that? There ought to be a TV commercial that shows people laughing, dancing and enjoying themselves. The narrator would say, “Possible side effects include a pain in your side if the body trembles from an overwhelming laugh, is highly infectious in the company of others, may result in an overflow of tears or a strong tendency to become an addiction with frequent occurrences.”

Help Guide continues, “As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults, life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. However, by seeking out more opportunities for humor and laughter, you can improve your emotional health, strengthen your relationships, find greater happiness — and even add years to your life.”

If you grew up in a dysfunctional household like I did with a black cloud of depression hovering over the dinners at the kitchen table, finding any reason to laugh was nearly impossible. Yet I can recall this one.

We were eating in silence as always. My dad had been burdened with bleeding ulcers, restless leg syndrome and emphysema for quite some time. During his slurps of soup, he suddenly dropped his spoon.

“I’m so sick,” he said, “even my hair hurts!”

I looked up from my bowl at him and let out a chuckle. Mom did too. Dad looked at both of us and he broke into that belly laugh my friend Mark had mentioned, and for at least the next 20 minutes, all was well in the Stracks’ house.

Help Guide adds, “Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment.”

This I find to be true. When an argument begins to heat up and someone pokes fun in a lighthearted way toward the anger of another, it cannot only diffuse it, but it can change the mood of the argument, lower the tension, and even end the dispute right then and there.

You want to live longer? A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humor outlive those who don’t laugh as much and laughing especially extended the lives of those battling cancer.

Here’s a noteworthy message to you guys reading this column. When asked what qualities a woman seeks in a man, near the top of their list is “he must have a good sense of humor.”

Another discovery from the article by Help Guide. “Humor and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment.”

This is not to ignore the fact that laughing can be annoying or even disturbing to others in the wrong moment or in the wrong place.

Author JD Salinger once said, “I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I’d probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up.”

Then again, laughter is often spontaneous and uncontrollable, and most of all very relieving in places where it’s not so much expected. Some years ago, I delivered a eulogy for a very good friend of mine. I approached the pulpit nervously after the priest had solemnly spoke words about death and our souls being lifted into heaven.

I looked toward the grieving people in front of me and went for it all. My friend had had a great sense of humor, with many of his jokes being off color that I can’t print here. He poked fun of everyone, including me but especially himself. He told me one time that a woman came to a dinner party at his house and he said of her, “She talked so much, she made my ears bleed.”

I liked to bait his hook. I’d say, “Hey, George, I got a story to tell you.” He looked at me with a frown and said, “Is this going to take long?”

I knew what was coming, but I started telling my story. About two minutes later just when I was getting to the good part, he interrupted me. “He Rich. Jimmy Crack Corn and I don’t care!”

I love being around people who laugh and make me laugh. These moments have awakened the once sad child in me, and now in my seventh decade of life I can belly laugh with the best of them.

So, Mark, I’m with you, my friend. I’m on that mission, too. I’m searching for the next big belly laugh, and I know where to find an easy one whenever it’s appropriate.

All I have to do is look in the mirror!

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com