Laughter is the Best Medicine

Humor is a very powerful and effective way to unite people by healing hurts & disagreements. Today people have abundance of stress which they have cultivated over years. Laughter has united people during difficult times. What Charlie Chaplin did during Second World War was the perfect example of the power of laughter. Laughing is contagious, so if one bring more laughter into ones life, one can most likely help others by elevating the mood of those around , decrease stress levels and possibly improve the quality of social interaction and making society more social & healthy. According to one research – A very interesting fact is that men love women who laugh in their presence and women actually laugh 125% more than men.

MEDICINAL BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH LAUGHING:

• Lowers blood pressure– Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is good for the vascular system.” – Dr. Michael Miller.
• Decreases stress hormone– By reducing the level of stress hormones it cuts the anxiety and stress impacting our body. A British study showed that how just 15 minutes of laughter can increase pain tolerance by around 10 percent as a result of endorphins being released in the brain. These endorphins cause pleasant feelings of calm, as well as temporary pain-relief. Endorphins help ease chronic pain and make you feel good all over.

• A Workout– One of the benefits of laughter is that it helps you to tone your abdominal muscles. When you are laughing, the muscles in your stomach expand and contract, similar to when you are exercising your abs. It makes diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles to work. By laughing more and more, one empties lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect – similar to deep breathing. This is especially helpful for people who are suffering from respiratory problems e.g. asthma. Laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine.
• Improves cardiac health– Laughter is a great cardio workout, especially for those who are incapable of doing other physical activity due to injury or illness. It gets your heart pumping and burns a similar amount of calories per hour as walking at a slow to moderate pace. So, laugh your heart to health.
• Boosts Immunity – T cells are specialized immune system cells. When you laugh, you activate T cells that immediately begin to help you fight off any sickness. It has been shown that laughter tends to defend against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds.
• Produces sense of well-being– Laughter can increase your overall sense of well-being. Doctors have found that people who have a positive outlook on life tend to fight diseases better than people who tend to be more negative. So smile and laugh.
• Increase memory and learning– In a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increase in test scores i.e. it Improve alertness, creativity, and memory.

The more you laugh with others, the more likely you are to be remembered for the positive energy and feelings you bring. Even intimate relationships improve with laughter, leading to more happiness and joyful relations. Isn’t it, this is what we want by the end of the day.