A good dose of laughter has great health benefits!
Whether it is with your friends or family, laughter is the best way to bond.
Nothing beats a good laugh.
But did you know that laughter is also beneficial for your health?
Scientists spent years on research and studies and identified that although laughter is not the best form of medicine, it is still a pretty good one.
Laughter relieves pain.
Laughing releases endorphins and this hormone helps increase your pain tolerance.
One study confirms this.
They had participants watch 15 minutes of a comedy show as a group and their pain tolerance increased 10% more than before the laughter.
Those who watched the comedy show alone, still had a pain tolerance increase but it was slightly less than 10%.
Laughter is good for the heart.
A good laugh helps your heart by increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood and kicking up your heart rate.
It also decreases arterial wall stiffness!
Laughter boosts your immune system.
Laughing releases anti-infection antibodies to help protect your body from infection and thus improves your immune system.
Laughter makes you happier.
Laughing helps lighten your mood.
It helps those experiencing depression or anxiety and can even help as a coping mechanism during challenging times.
Laughter reduces stress.
Your body releases cortisol when you’re stressed.
Cortisol gets a bad rap because it is related to stress, but it plays an important role in the body.
Cortisol helps manage blood sugar levels, reduces inflammation, manages metabolism, and triggers the fight or flight response in your body at critical times.
Too much cortisol and you start feeling that stress in your body.
Laughing is one of the ways to regulate cortisol as it increases oxygen intake which stimulates circulation and decreases cortisol levels.
Laughing even when nothing is funny can actually help you relieve stress.
Laughter relaxes your body.
Stress causes your muscles to tense up and laughing can help relaxes your muscles.
A good laugh can relieve your muscles of extra stress for up to 45 minutes because it stimulates circulation.
Make sure to find some time everyday where you do something you enjoy either with yourself or with others.
It is important to have a good laugh once a day!
Want to make us laugh? Tell us a joke!