Matino
Moderator
Several evidences are now stacking up to prove that the saying ‘laughter is the best medicine’ is not just a moral statement, but a scientific one. Unfortunately, most of us are finding fewer reasons to laugh everyday – probably because we miss the point and wait for situations that will make us laugh rather creating one.
Laughter has a far-reaching effect on not just our mental and physical health, but also provides us with several social benefits
What really happens when we laugh?
There is always a cascade of physiological changes in our body system when we laugh. As we laugh, we stretch the muscles of our face and body, our respiratory rate, blood pressure and pulse rate all go up. All these lead to an increase in oxygen supply to our tissues.
Below are some of the health and social benefits laughter provides
Laughter burns calories
Researchers have found that laughter actually produces some effects similar to exercising. In a particular study, laughing for just about 10-15 minutes was seen to burn around 50 calories. It may not offer much in calorie burning, but combine this with exercise and you will have optimized your health. In addition, laughing 100 times a day has been found to have the same cardio results when you work out for 10 minutes.
Laughter and Blood Flow
Another study sought to look into the effect of laughter on blood flow. Two different groups were shown either comedy or drama. Those that were shown comedy had their blood vessels expanding and contracting normally while those that were shown drama had their vessels tensed up, thereby restricting blood flow. This is an important factor in heart health.
Immune Boosting
Stress and laughter have been shown to be on two extremes of the immunity scale. While stress decreases the effectiveness of the immune system, laughter was shown to boost it.
Regulation of Blood Sugar levels
A particular small study found that a group of people had better blood sugar control after watching a comedy compared to their blood sugar control after listening to a tedious lecture. This gives some idea that laughter may have some influence on blood sugar.
Laughter and pain
Another benefit of laughter is in its ability to dull pain. People that suffer from severe pain report that laughter helps them numb the pain.
The ‘feel good’ effect
Laughter has been shown to cause more of the release of a chemical in the body called endorphins. Endorphins are like the body’s natural cocaine. It provides the ‘feel good’ effect and promotes general well-being
Social Benefits
Laughter can strengthen relationships and attract others to us. It can also enhance teamwork, defuse conflicts and promote group bonding.
Mental health benefits
Laughter relieves stress and improves mood. It eases anxiety and fear and can enhance resilience.
Getting Started
Now that you know some of the many benefits of laughter, how do you consistently get yourself to laugh? There are several materials and places to get in the mood. You can consider watching comedies or funny videos. You can also consider going for comedy shows, play with your pet or children, get close to funny people, or read jokes online.
To start, you should know that laughter begins with a smile. It is difficult to find someone frowning hard to suddenly start laughing hard, but it is easier for the one with a smile to start laughing. You should therefore always wear a smile.
Laughter is very contagious and a single person can infect many others with laughter like a wild infectious disease. This is why you should also consider moving towards laughter when you hear it so you can get the ‘healthy infection’.
Photo credit: www.happierhuman.com
