Can Laughing Make You Healthier?

Everyone knows that laughing can make any situation a little more bearable, but did you know it can actually make you healthier?

The trouble is we aren’t laughing enough. Many of us get so wrapped up in the serious side of our jobs and let our stress spiral out of control that we forget there is a lighter side to life. Research has found that children laugh about 400 times a day while adults only laugh about 15 times a day. How often do you let yourself laugh?

Laughter is an all-around health booster. According to “Science of Laughter” on the Discovery Health Web site, when we laugh, natural killer cells which destroy tumors and viruses increase, along with Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells (important for our immune system) and B-cells (which make disease-fighting antibodies). As well as lowering blood pressure, laughter increases oxygen in the blood, which also encourages healing.

There is, however, humor that is not beneficial. When your jokes and laughter turn into jabs at yourself or others, you are no longer reaping the benefit of your chuckles and are in fact increasing pain and putting distance between yourself and others. Healthy humor is a whole body experience comprised of three key components:

1. wit, the cognitive experience;

2. mirth, the feel good emotional experience enhanced when shared with others; and

3. laughter, the reflexive and contagious physical experience.

When you experience these three elements, you can be sure your body is thanking you.

The Benefits of Humor
Here are a few of the benefits your body sees when you let loose and laugh, as cited on www.helpguide.org:

• Laughter lowers blood pressure. A number of tests have shown that those who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower blood pressure than the average person.

• Humor changes our biochemical state. Laughter decreases stress hormones while increasing infection fighting antibodies, attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.

• Laughter protects the heart. A study done by the University of Maryland Medical Center, indicating laughter can help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations as compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

• Laughter gives our bodies a good workout. This could be the secret to obtaining that long sought-after “six-pack.” Laughing is a great workout for your diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles. It massages abdominal organs, tones intestinal functioning, and strengthens the muscles that hold the abdominal organs in place. It is estimated that hearty laughter can burn calories equivalent to several minutes on the rowing machine or exercise bike.

• Humor improves brain function and relieves stress. Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning. It eases muscle tension and psychological stress, which allows people to retain more information.

As you can see, laughter really is the best medicine. Not all of us are suffering from physical ailments though. Rest assured, you giggles are not wasted. Laughing has tremendous mental and emotional health benefits as well!

• Humor enhances our ability to affiliate or connect with others.

• Humor helps us replace distressing emotions with pleasurable feelings.

• Lacking humor will cause one’s thought processes to stagnate, leading to increased distress.

• Humor changes behavior - we talk more, make more eye contact with others, touch others, etc.

• Humor increases energy, which may push us to perform activities that we might have otherwise avoided.

• Finally, it makes us feel good!

Look for the everyday humor. There are constantly things around us that incite laughter. Look for the absurd, silly, and incongruous activities taking place around you at this very moment!

Observe children. Children have an unparalleled ability to find humor in just about anything. They find happiness in things we as adults tend to take for granted. Also, surround yourself with positive people. We often feel more comfortable letting the laughs fly when we are with people who feel the same way.

Take a 5-10 minute humor break each day. Read jokes or funny short stories. Keep a book of jokes on your desk or on the coffee table that you can grab when you feel the stress beginning to well-up inside you. Join a laughter club.

But most of all, remember to have fun. Life is not so serious. Let yourself live a little and your heart, mind, and family with thank you!

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