Why Laughter is the Best Medicine
By Crystal Hessong
Laughter really is the best medicine to cure what ails you. Whether you're feeling tired or blue, a hearty chuckle can turn around your outlook. And it's not just an old wives' tale. Laughter is backed by science for helping you to feel better. A little humor in your life can benefit your body, mind and soul.
Your Body Loves to Laugh
Laughter benefits your heart health. Inflammation, common in cardiovascular disease, has reduced effects on your blood vessels and heart when you laugh. Though scientists are not entirely sure how this happens, they speculate that laughter fights the inflammation that forms in response to stress. Cutting stress reduces inflammation and helps prevent heart problems. Other parts of your body also respond to humor. Those with pain experience brief reprieves from their aches when they laugh. Additionally, both those with and without diabetes have better responses to glucose when they laugh.
Adding laughing to your exercise routine could boost the benefits you get from working out. In a study of older adults, researchers found when the seniors forced themselves to laugh for 30 to 60 seconds as a part of their standard workout, the participants had better aerobic and mental functioning at the end of the study.
Your Brain Appreciates a Good Chuckle
Just as your heart health improves with laughter, so does your mental health. Antidepressants allow your brain to use more of the serotonin it produces. Laughter may produce even more of this feel-good hormone. Though laughter's effects may not last as long as antidepressants in the brain, a good laugh can make you feel better for a short while. Laughter may also increase the endorphins in your brain. A rush of these hormones can make you feel just as good as if you took narcotics, but unlike opioid drugs, laughter's endorphins are not addictive or detrimental to your health.
Your Soul Loves to Laugh
Laughter can bring people closer together. Sharing a funny movie or a hilarious moment can build bonds between people. Whether you want to improve your romantic relationship or just enjoy your time more with coworkers, laughter can draw you nearer to those people. Being healthy is more than having a strong body. Health also reflects in your connections to others. Being emotionally healthy helps you and those around you by creating a support system.
Even if you're not looking to become close friends with everyone you meet, sharing a laugh with someone is a simple way to spread joy and kindness to those you encounter in your life. Live your life to the fullest and share the joy of living with others through laughter. It truly is the best medicine for body, mind and soul.
