Benefits Of Laughter

A world without laughter is akin to a garden without flowers. As the holy Qu'ran rightly mentions - "He deserves paradise who makes his companions laugh." Laughter is indeed the best medicine and it is a shame to live a day without it! Laughter’s healing power was first discovered in the fourteenth century. Almost six decades later, the concept of “laughter therapy became the first chapter in 'Anatomy of an Illness' by Norman Cousins in 1979. He arrived at the notion that ten minutes of hysterical laughter equates to two hours of pain free sleep after consuming high dosages of Vitamin C and watching highly humorous movies and shows. Boisterous laughter inevitably contributes to the upliftment of one’s mood and gradually extinguishes sentiments of grief and depression. Watching a humorous sitcom or reminiscing on past anecdotes instantly trigger buckets of laughter. So, all that we suggest you is grab a pack of popcorn and laugh your heart out by watching a comic film! After all, isn't it happiness and laughter all that we live for! All our worries and troubles can be temporarily cloaked by the mystical power of laughter. Spread laughing gas with your great sense of humor and be amazed with its innumerable benefits listed in this article.

 

 

 

Laughing Benefits

• As the world gets harder and harder, levels of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine and dopamine take a sudden steep rise. However, bouts of laughter aid in controlling these stress levels and they simultaneously increase the level of endorphins (which helps numb pain more effectively than morphine) and neurotransmitters. Hence, laughter is inexorably the best cure to combating anxiety and suppressing irritation or depression. It releases all those negative pent-up emotions and help them vanish into thin air!

• Abundant laughter often boosts our immune system, thus preventing numerous diseases! Laughter also protects us from against respiratory infections as well! This is being further investigated in the study of psychoneuroimmunology, which analyzes the symbiotic relationship between one’s brain and the behavior.

• When we laugh, we integrate both the hemispheres of our brain. While the left hemisphere of our brain helps us decipher the verbal material of a joke, the level of humor within the joke is determined by the right hemisphere of the brain.

• To be blessed with a vibrant sense of humor is one of the best gifts ever! Even if you aren’t born with one, it’s never too late to develop one. Good humor improves your communication and oratory skills manifold. Did you know that a humorous man can make a new friend or charm a stranger with the snap of his finger?

• Conceal your urge to break into tears by breaking into a fit of giggles. Shroud your uncontrollable stimuli to cry under the veil of laughter. It provides fabulous emotional and physical release! 

• The number of antibody-producing cells shoots up when we burst out laughing and the effectiveness of Gama-interferon and T-Cells(which combat tumors and such diseases) rise dramatically!

• Laughter lowers the blood pressure to normal and provides respite to those suffering from hypertension. Laughing encourages deeper breathing, which, in turn, increases blood flow thereby making it possible to provide adequate oxygen to all body parts.

• When you have a great belly laugh, you are concurrently exercising your diaphragm and contracting the abdominal muscles. This is great for the shoulders, as it appropriately relaxes the muscles. Laughter helps heart receive a satisfactory workout as well. All these activities are beneficial for digestion and weight loss.

• Laughter often improves our memory, alertness and stimulates creativity.

• Laughter helps us connect with other people. Several people bond over funny movies or jokes. Laughter has the fantastic quality of bringing new people together. Also, when you laugh at yourself you exude self-confidence and disempower another individual to deliberately mock you. 

• Humor and the ability to stimulate laughter helps you face challenges and overcome them with more perspective and less panic.