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Gelopedia … The Lexicon of Laughter©® A Free Dictionary of Vocabulary & Terminology Associated With Laughter Created by Steve Wilson, Psychologist, Joyologist, and Cheerman of the Bored ©2010 All Rights Reserved

Get the most updated version at http://www.worldlaughtertour.com/pdfs/gelopedia.pdf With this initiative, I hope to make a positive contribution to the field of applied and therapeutic humor & laughter. Starting with vocabulary, eventually this will become an encyclopedia of applied and therapeutic laughter & humor. Concurrent with the evolution of Gelotherapy (laugher therapy), there is also evolving a vocabulary associated with it. In many respects, the Latin and Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes, provide a more accurate depiction of laughter’s associated states, conditions, and manifestations in an area not easily talked about or understood in plain English. Now, I offer and commend these neologisms to the field of applied and therapeutic humor & laughter for use as appropriate to these ends. I have no doubt that as we go along we will expand and otherwise tweak the meanings of these terms. Not being an expert in Latin or Greek, I invite the input, suggestions or corrections, and additional contributions of more knowledgeable lay and professional readers and practitioners. -SW

Gelos (jee-los) is the Greek word for laughter. The ‘ge’ sounds like gee as in gee-whiz, and the pronunciation indication is ‘jee’. The “gel” in Gelos, the Greek word for laughter, and in all words derived from it should sound like “gee” as in gee-whiz! The pronunciation indicator is ‘jee’. Dr. William Fry, Jr., is adamant, in his idiosyncratically funny way, that it be pronounced gee-low-tahl-o-gee, and NOT sound like jello-tology, “Do not confuse the study of laughter with study of a dessert!”

GELOTOLOGY: According to Dr. William J. Fry, Jr., “The science of laughter was formally established in March, 1964 by the origination, by Dr. Edith Trager, of its name—Gelotology, from the Greek root gelos (laughter).” Fry adopted Gelotologist as his unofficial title, even having it embroidered onto his lab coats. GELOTHERAPY: This, of course, refers to laughter programs that have among their goals overcoming hypogelotonia, usually done in a group setting with a qualified gelotherapist and also individually, as a self-care strategy; a structured, repeatable program of systematic exposure to true mirthful laughter in a supportive environment coupled with Good-Hearted Living®, and infused with the enthusiasm, warmth, cheerfulness, and expertise of Certified Laughter Leaders (Gelotherapists). At this time, it is considered to be an adjunctive therapy, one that does not claim any particular cure, but helps primary treatments work better to the extent that it re-aligns perspectives, modulates stress reactions, contributes to improved quality of life, and lifts spirits. It should be considered essential to the goals of anyone engaged in a process of physical, mental, emotional or spiritual healing, vital to the needs of The New Seniors, and having many, many other applications.

GELOPHILIA: The love of laughter; an affinity for laughter; the pursuit of positive laughter.

GELOTROPHIC (jee-low-trow-fik) or GELOTROPIC and GELOTROPIUM: (jee-low-trope-ee-yum): The state or condition of being nourished by and/or growing due to laughter. An organism exhibiting growth as a result of being stimulated by laughter.

GELOSIS: Denoting the condition of laughing more and more.

GELOTONIA and GELOTONIC: Gelotonia (jee-low-tone-ee-ah) is the condition of achieving a healthy balance with laughter, i.e., getting one’s RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of laughter. This amount is not yet known in scientific terms, but at least one researcher (Dr. Michael Miller) has speculated that, in the future, physicians may prescribe a total of fifteen minutes per day as the RDA. Although this is still hypothetical, it is a goal worth considering for the time being. A person in a state of gelotonia would be gelotonic.

GELORRHEA (HYPERGELOS, HYPERGELOTIC): A seemingly nearly continuous giggling, chuckling or laughing; also the condition of being caught up in laughter and seeming unable to stop; a fit of laughter; sometimes called a laughter casualty.

GELOTICA (also PARAGELOTIC or PARAGELOTICS): Referring to materials & paraphrenalia, props, toys, movies, bumper stickers, Groucho glasses, slide whistles, clown noses, cartoons and the like, when they are used to stimulate laughter.

GELODYSMORPHIA: The condition of being unhappy or dissatisfied with one or more quality of one’s laughter, e.g., pitch, volume, timbre, nasality, frequency, etc.

HYPOGELOS (also HYPOGELOTIA, HYPOGELOTONIC, OR HYPOGELOTONIA: This would be the condition of NOT achieving one’s full RDA of laughter. This is related to a condition I proposed several years ago: “The Y.A.L.E. Complex”, or “You Aren’t Laughing Enough!”

PROTOGELOTIC or PROTOGELOS: Referring to a person’s very first laugh, typically at about 4-6 weeks of age in a healthy infant; also referred to as one’s original, authentic, or primal laugh.

PSEUDOGELOTIC: Referring to false or fake laughter.

HUMERGY: the energy that emerges from the humor, joy, and optimism of our inner spirit, reflects our unique personality and nourishes a healthy mind/body balance. (Morrison, 2004)

Humorobics: the physical act of laughing. Humordoomer: a person who consistently uses negative humor to control and manipulate others.(Morrison, 2007) Humorologist: person who practices the art and science of healthy humor. Humorology: the art and science of humor. Humorphobia: a fear of fun, laughter and humor. RIGOLO: French; children use this word to say that something is funny. The word itself is amusing. "L'Ecole Internationale du Rire", the International School of Laughter, in France, teaches RIGOLOGIE. Its founder, Corinne Cosseron, calls herself a RIGOLOGUE.

Steve Wilson President of World Laughter Tour www.worldlaughtertour.com Director of National Humor Month (April) www.HumorMonth.com 2007 Honoree of the Rire d'Or Award - France 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award - www.AATH.org PH: 614-855-4733 (EDT) Skype: s_h_wilson Facebook