5 Reasons why you should laugh more. Seriously, no jokes.
Laughing is so good for you.
- Laughing releases endorphins. Endorphins are our body’s “natural painkillers” and “anti-depressants”.So laughter relieves pain. Yes, you read it right, it takes pain away. Woohoo! Bye bye backache. Endorphins also increases feelings of well-being, meaning you feel pretty jolly and who doesn’t want to feel jolly, right?
- Laughing reduces cortisol and adrenaline (i.e.our stress hormones). Hence we feel less stressed and more relaxed. So next time you get all tense and stressed out during a meeting at work, try laughing. But try not to laugh directly at your boss – that might not end well.
- Laughing boosts immunity. This is a little bit of a double edged sword. On the one hand you are healthier but on the other, gone are your sick days snuggled up on the sofa watching Netflix. Great for bosses though. So next time your boss breaks out in laughter during a meeting, they might be trying to get you to join in and avoid those pesky sick days off. Sneaky.
- Laughing promotes a healthy heart. On a serious note, Ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the world’s biggest killers. So why not protect your heart with the most fun, easy and natural “medicine”: laughter? Laughter stimulates circulation and reduces blood pressure which is very good for our heart.Research suggests laughter can decrease stress hormones as seen above, it reduces arterial inflammation and increase HDL, the “good” cholesterol, as noted by the American Heart Association (AHA). So get out, watch more comedies and laugh more! Your heart will love you for it.
- Laughter could increase life expectancy. Imagine applying laughter to reduce stress, keep your heart healthy and boost your immunity? You could actually live longer. Laughter is natural, free and its effects last for up to 24 hours. So why not hang out with friends and family who make you laugh (finding them might not be so easy), and start laughing more. A study in Norway found that people who laughed more lived longer.
So instead of being all serious and stressed out, be light-hearted, humorous and find the laughter in the world. Your body will love you for it.
Research studies links:
Endorphins Research link – click here
Stress Research link – click here
Immune booster Research link – click here
Healthy heart Research link – click here
Live longer Research link – click here
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