International Moment of Laughter Day

On April 14, stop, smell the roses, and laugh a little (or a lot), because it is International Moment of Laughter Day.

The unofficial holiday, created by humorologist Izzy Gesell, encourages people to forget the stresses of daily life and give into the healing and relaxing power of laughter.

Reduces Stress

Medical studies have shown that laughing reduces stress, increases blood flow, and lowers blood sugar levels. Some studies have found that people who laugh just before going to bed are much more likely to sleep better than those who did not.

Spreads Happiness

In addition to its health benefits, laughter also has social advantages. People who are jovial tend to be quickly accepted in social groups and have an easier time making friends. Laughter is a way to spread joy and happiness and bring cheer in the lives of other people.

How to Celebrate?

• Take a moment in the day to read or watch something that would make you laugh.
• Go with family and friends to watch a comedy show or comedy movie.
• Collect jokes and share them with colleagues, friends, and family.

Did You Know…

…that human laughter has a specific acoustic structure? Laughter can have a ha-ha-ha or ho-ho-ho structure, but it is humanly impossible to have a ha-ho-ha-ho structure to laughter.

March 14 is Pi Day. It is a day to celebrate the mathematical constant pi (π) and to eat lots of pie.

It is celebrated in countries that follow the month/day (m/dd) date format, because the digits in the date, March 14 or 3/14, are the first three digits of π (3.14). Pi Day was founded by Physicist Larry Shaw in 1988.

Pi Approximation Day

Because everyone should be able to enjoy a fun mathematical holiday, people in countries that follow the day/month (dd/m) date format honor pi on Pi Approximation Day. The date of Pi Approximation Day – July 22 – when written in the day/month format or 22/7 corresponds to the fraction (22/7) that pi is usually depicted as.

There are many other days during the year when one can honor pi. Some of these are:

• March 4: The day marks the passing of 14% of the 3rd month of the year.
• April 5: By this day, 3.14 months of the year have passed.
• November 10: The 314th day of the year (November 9 in leap years).

An Irrational Number

One of the oldest and the most recognized mathematical constant in the world, Pi (π) is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. Its value is approximately equal to 3.14159265. It is an irrational number, which means it cannot be expressed as a ratio of whole numbers, and its decimal representation never ends or repeats.

In recent years, mathematicians have called for replacing pi by tau (τ) as a way to describe the relationship between a circle’s circumference and its radius. In order to spread the word about the advantages of tau over pi, mathematicians around the world celebrate Tau Day on June 28.