Laughter is a wonderful thing. It has the power to change the atmosphere, bring people together and help us connect with each other. And it has great benefits for individuals too. You know yourself just how great a real belly laugh is and how a giggle with your friends makes you feel good so you shouldn’t really need convincing you need more laughter in your life. But if you do, please read on to know why you should laugh more.
Among the great health benefits of laughing are the good things giggling do for your heart. Laughing until tears run down the sides of your face is actually a really good cardio workout and can replace physical activity for those who can't go to the gym or do other types of sport because of illness or injury. Enjoying a good giggle with your BFFs will burn off a similar amount of calories per hour as walking at a slow to moderate speed. It gets your heart pumping and exercises your face muscles, too, which keeps wrinkles at bay. Now isn't that worth at least a smile?
According to researchers Dr. Lee Berg and Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California, laughing can reduce our blood pressure. And that reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. If that's not reason to positively roar with laughter, what is?
Medical evidence shows that people with a positive outlook on life are apt to fight off diseases far better than Apocalypse-huggers. Laughing produces a general sense of contentment, of well-being and that, if not leading to longer life, will at least make life far more enjoyable.
Serving as the body's natural pain killers, endorphins are released when we exercise - and laughing, as mentioned above, is as good as a gentle work-out. Giggle your head off and your body will release endorphins that can reduce chronic pain and give you that warm fuzzy feeling no drugstore produced pain killers can provide.
When you laugh, you reduce the stress hormones your body produces, which cuts the anxiety you feel. This in turn could result in a better performance of your immune system. In other words, laughing at your little brother's silly jokes will not only reduce your exam stress, it will help your body to fight off colds and other nasties going round.
Tone your abs while laughing like a hyena. Flabby tummies get their muscles expanded and contracted when you laugh, which is the underlying principle of exercising your abs. Slot your favorite Laurel & Hardy, Tina Fey or Steve Martin DVD into the machine, take a deep breath and off you go. There, that's one toned tummy your BFFs can admire a couple of hours later.
If the above points aren't enough reasons to laugh for you, remember your T cells. They are part of your immune system, lying in wait for a call to action when you fall ill. When you start laughing, T cells get instantly activated, helping your body to do battle with sickness. This is especially important when undergoing treatment for serious conditions, such as cancer for example, because the chemotherapy will weaken a person's immune system. Having cancer may not give much rise to laughter, but gather all your friends and loved-one round and remember the good times, like when your hated geography teacher stepped into a cowpat during a school outing or the day, when your Aunty's snooty wedding planner ripped her dress. What a laugh that was! Aw, those are the moments you'll cherish to the end, and so will your T cells.
Isn’t it good to see that something simple is so lovely for you. Do you laugh enough? What tickles your funny bone? I have a passion for silly elephant jokes! If you’ve got an elephant joke, I’d love to hear it.
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