# Origin of Laughter is the best medicine

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/84098>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 27, 2001, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/84098 "2001-09-27T13:33:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2001, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/84098/1 "2001-09-27T13:33:02Z")

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Where does this phrase come from?

I figured it might have been mentioned in Cecil’s column [Is laughter the best medicine?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a981211.html), but apparently it wasn’t important to the discussion.

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**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2001, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/84098/2 "2001-09-27T16:59:32Z")

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Maybe Reader’s Digest?

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**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2001, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/84098/3 "2001-09-27T17:47:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \*  
> \*\*Maybe Reader’s Digest? \*\*

I’m thinking it probably predates _Reader’s Digest_; it may be an idiomatic translation of ancient Greek or Latin, or may be a misquoting of something dramatic - Shakespeare, perhaps?

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/84098/4 "2001-09-27T18:08:16Z")

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It certainly wasn’t from Merck.