by: Melanie Kucko, Sean Smedley, and Scott Brabant
We often associate laughter with humor. Did you know that there are both mental and physical health benefits associated with each? After all, laughter is the best medicine. Laughing is not only funny to do, but good for you.
Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, believes that there are 10 benefits to laughter. The following contains excerpts from his blog entitled “Improve Your Mental and Physical Health With The Power of Laughter”:
1. Laughter Boosts Your Immune System
First, laughter boosts your immune system. Negative stress can cause your body to release chemicals that weaken your immune system, making you more likely to contract a disease. Laughter, though, reduces negative stress and, in turn, prevents those chemicals from being released.
2. Laughter Promotes Good Heart Health
Laughter has been shown to both lower blood pressure and improves blood flow, both of which lead to better cardiovascular health and reduce your chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
3. Laughter Creates Bonds
If two people are laughing together, they will feel more emotionally connected. This makes laughter a great tool if you are going on a date or trying to make friends with a coworker.
4. It Burns Calories
While you may not want to skip your workout routine in favor of watching stand up comedy, it’s still true that laughter does burn calories and can promote weight loss. According to a study by the International Journal of Obesity, laughing for 15 minutes can burn 10-40 calories by raising your heart rate.
5. Laughter is a Great Energy Boost
When you laugh, your body increases its oxygen intake and releases endorphins. Among many other benefits of laughter, these two things can provide you with a quick, refreshing boost of energy.
6. Laughter Reduces Stress
The endorphins that laughter releases not only provide you with an energy boost, they also are a powerful way to reduce stress. Endorphins work to reduce stress by counteracting the output of the stress-causing hormone cortisol and providing you with a sense of euphoria.
7. Laughing Improves Confidence and Performance
The ability to laugh at yourself when you make a mistake is a truly valuable trait. Laughing at yourself allows you to build confidence and keeps minor setbacks from dragging you down. If you can laugh something off rather than letting it fester in your mind, you can move on much quicker and avoid letting a small problem become a major one.
8. Laughter Helps You Better Retain Information
People tend to remember funny things more than anything else. If you develop the ability to find humor in the things you read and hear, you’ll be much more likely to retain the information you receive. Likewise, if you want to get a point across to someone else in a way that they will be more likely to remember, make it funny.
9. Laughing Works Out Your Abs
Laughter causes the muscles in your stomach to contract in a similar way to doing crunches or sit-ups. This is why you may feel your stomach hurting after a long period of heavy laughter.
10. Laughter May Even Help Prevent Cancer?
Laughter has been shown to increase the levels of Interferon-Gamma in the body, which in turn promotes the release of B-cells, T-cells, NK cells, and immunoglobulin, and it also helps regulate cell growth. Not only can all of these things help boost your immune system, they may also help prevent the growth of cancerous cells.
During the past 12 months as a result of confinement and separation due to COVID-19, all of us have had to find new ways to stay connected. It has been even harder to stay light hearted and positive during this trying time. To help with this, put humor on your horizon. Try a funny hat or costume during your next video meeting, or even invite your pet to walk across your desk and introduce him/her to your colleagues or friends.
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Find a way to laugh about your own situations and even if it feels forced at first, don’t give up – it does your body good. Consider trying laughter yoga as a guide, where people practice laughter as a group. It may begin forced, but soon the laughter is spontaneous.
