It’s a Laughing Matter

We all know it – laughter is good for you? Are you stressed out, anxious or feeling a little gloomy? While you might consider a long walk or jog, you might also want to consider laughing as the medicine for what ails you.

According to WebMD, our physiology changes when we laugh. The muscles in our face and body stretch, our pulse and blood pressure go up and as we breathe faster, more oxygen is sent to our tissues. Some people even like to think that laughter is like a mild workout!  William Fry, a pioneer in laughter research claimed it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter.

Here are a few facts about laughter:

Laughter Is Good For The Heart: Blood flow increases when we laugh and this can help to prevent cardiovascular problems.

Laughter Is Like A Whole Body Massage: A good belly laugh can relieve tension and relax your muscles for up to 45 minutes!

Laughter Reduces Stress & Is Good For The Immune System:  Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases production immunity boosting agents.

Laughter Can Reduce Pain: Laughter causes us to produce natural pain-killing hormones call endorphins.

Laughter is contagious so spend time with people who make you smile and giggle. There’s nothing as enjoyable as a really good belly laugh!  Inject more humor in your daily life and you may have a very positive effect on others.  It costs nothing but it yields many great benefits!