"Laughter is also directly connected with accumulators. But laughter is the
opposite function to yawning. It is not pumping in, but pumping out, that is,
the pumping out and the discarding of superfluous energy collected in the
accumulators. Laughter does not exist in all centers, but only in centers
divided into two halves—positive and negative. If I have not yet spoken of
this in detail, I shall do so when we come to a more detailed study of the
centers. At present we shall take only the intellectual center. There can be
impressions which fall at once on two halves of the center and produce at
once a sharp 'yes' and 'no.' Such a simultaneous 'yes' and 'no' produces a
kind of convulsion in the center and, being unable to harmonize and digest
these two opposite impressions of one fact, the center begins to throw out
in the form of laughter the energy which flows into it from the accumulator
whose turn it is to supply it. In another instance it happens that in the
accumulator there has collected too much energy which the center cannot
manage to use up. Then every, the most ordinary, impression can be
received as double, that is, it may fall at once on the two halves of the
center and produce laughter, that is, the discarding of energy.
"You must understand that I am only giving you an outline. You must
remember that both yawning and laughter are very contagious. This shows
that they are essentially functions of the instinctive and the moving
centers."
"Why is laughter so pleasant?" asked someone.
"Because," G. answered, "laughter relieves us of superfluous energy,
which, if it remained unused, might become negative, that is, poison. We
always have plenty of this poison in us. Laughter is the antidote. But this
antidote is necessary only so long as we are unable to use all the energy
for useful work. It is said of Christ that he never laughed. And indeed you
will find in the Gospels no indication or mention of the fact that at any time Christ laughed. But there are different ways of not
laughing. There are people who do not laugh because they are completely
immersed in negative emotions, in malice, in fear, in hatred, in suspicion.
And there may be others who do not laugh because they cannot have
negative emotions. Understand one thing. In the higher centers there can
be no laughter, because in higher centers there is no division, and no 'yes'
and 'no.'"