As children, anticipating the arrival of April Fool’s Day always got my friends and me overly excited. People should look forward to getting an extra laugh on this fun day, realizing that jokes can be positive.

April Fool’s Day is one day of the year where it is generally permissible to unleash your inner troll while breaking some social norms. 

According to infoplease.com, the origins of this day are unclear. The most popular belief is that the beginning of the calendar year was moved from April 1 to January 1. Pope Gregory XIII enforced this and named the new calendar the “Gregorian calendar,” after himself. Those who continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1 were considered fools.

Now, people seem to have forgotten about this and simply put on their prankster hats. 

I can remember being at a family gathering on this day and reaching for a lovely grilled-cheese sandwich. To my surprise, I found that it was actually yellow icing instead of cheese. This brought the biggest, cheesiest smile to my face. 

People say I laugh too much, but I strongly believe that more humor is needed in life. Elizabeth Bennet from the book “Pride and Prejudice” said it best, “I dearly love a laugh.” 

It is painful to see professors trying to brighten up a lesson with a joke, but no one laughs. They respond by saying, “tough crowd.” People are increasingly serious and in need of some comic relief. I truly believe in the saying “laughter is the best medicine.” 

According to helpguide.org, there are physical, mental and social benefits involved. Laughter helps your immune system, pain tolerance, energy and stress levels. It also reinforces relationships, aids in overcoming conflict, relaxes muscles and even prevents heart disease.

I am sure there are some people who are adamantly against playing jokes on April Fool’s Day, but unless the pranks are harmful to the person’s emotional or physical health, I don’t see the big deal. 

The use of ethics and boundaries are important. For example, one of my cousins once poured “itching powder” down the back of his little sister’s shirt that he got from a prank shop. This substance was actually fiber glass and it is horrible when it comes in contact with skin. This is the type of joke I am against.

Overall, if a person is not playing a seriously dangerous prank, participating in April Fool’s Day is a positive action. People need to lighten up, relax and create laughter to brighten up the day.