Staying positive is advice that’s always easier said than done. When you’re brought down by a bad situation, looking up might be the last thing you want to do. Acknowledge your emotions, then find ways to get yourself back on track. When you’re out of ideas, it may help to return to an old reliable: laughter is the best medicine.
What Are the Benefits of Laughter As the Best Medicine?
There is a scene in the first Sex and the City movie. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda were sipping margaritas at a restaurant in Mexico when a jilted Carrie asks, “Will I ever laugh again?” Miranda responds matter-of-factly: “Yes. When something is really, really funny.” Five minutes later, you get Charlotte in a classic poop schtick. Carrie bursts into laughter, after which she wakes up from her heartbroken stupor.
Hearing someone tell you that laughter is the best medicine may sound hokey. However, numerous studies have scientifically proven its significance in physical and psychological well-being.
1. Laughing is good for the heart.
In 2010, researchers at the University of Texas assigned a group to enjoy a comedy while another watched a documentary. Findings show that those who watched the former improved artery function.
According to 2016 research in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, there are two kinds of laughter—spontaneous and self-induced. While spontaneity has more physiological effects, either type has can improve cardiovascular function since your heart rate increases and you take in more oxygen. It also enhances blood circulation.
Yet another study in Psychosomatic Medicine also reveals that laughing helps alleviate stiffness in the arterial wall.
2. Laughing helps you tolerate pain.
You probably know by now that laughing triggers endorphins, also known as happy hormones. Apart from making you feel a sense of joy, endorphins are also the body’s natural pain relievers. University of Oxford research published in 2011 in the Proceeding of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences reveals that respondents’ pain tolerance increased by 10 percent after watching 15 minutes of comedy.
3. Laughter burns calories.
Experts at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center say laughter is the best medicine and a ! It supposedly burns around the same number of calories as moderate walking.
You don’t need deodorant to keep you feeling fresh when you do this “exercise.” Instead, show your pearly whites in the best possible light. closeup All Around Fresh Soothing Menthol Toothpaste has fluoride, zinc, and silica to give your mouth a total clean and protect your teeth from cavities, allowing you to LOL with confidence.
4. Laughter keeps you relaxed.
Several factors influence the feeling of relaxation, including better blood circulation. According to a study at the University of St. Augustine, even a short laugh can relieve your muscles of stress-related tension for 45 minutes. Not a bad payoff for a few seconds’ chortling. This same effect is also why you laugh or giggle involuntarily when you’re in a nerve-wracking situation. It’s your body trying to calm you down.
Complement that relaxed feeling by treating yourself to a comforting bath. Just like laughter, lavender has a soothing event. Light some purple candles, dab on some , or pamper yourself with Love Beauty and Planet Argan Oil and Lavender Smooth and Serene Shampoo and Dove Lavender Body Wash to reap this flower’s soothing benefits.
5. Laughter can combat depression and boosts mental health.
Mental health is no laughing matter. However, much research has been dedicated to measuring laughter’s effectivity against depression and anxiety. In 2015, for example, researchers surveyed retirees in Iran. Participants attended biweekly, 90-minute laughter therapy sessions for six weeks. Afterward, they displayed better physical health and reduced anxiety and insomnia.
Furthermore, a 2020 study published in PLOS ONE concludes that positive affect is a stress buffer. Psychologists investigated laughter as it is a typical indicator of staying positive. Based on the results, laughing often mitigated . Fun fact: corroborating previously mentioned research, the type and intensity of your laughter don’t matter.
The next time someone tells you that laughter is the best medicine, don’t just write it off. This cliché is backed by extensive research. Go ahead, laugh. Science approves.