When humour is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and is the priceless medicine for every ailment in life. It is always good to share laughter but did you know the effect of laughter on your health? Through this article let us harness the powerful benefits of laughter and humour.
Laughter Benefits
We all have heard that laughter is the best medicine. But the stated benefits are mentioned as follows:
It strengthens bonds among people and helps in positive physical and emotional changes in the body.
It strengthens the immune system, boosts mood, relieves pain, and protects from negative stress effects.
A good laugh brings your body and mind together and balances the mood for good energy.
Laughter releases anger, thus you can forgive sooner
It lightens the burdens, inspires hope, builds connections, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.
Laughter has so much power to heal and we are blessed to have the ability to laugh easily and frequently, can unburden problems, enhance relationships, and support both physical and emotional health. The best part is this priceless medicine is fun in itself, easy to use, and available for free.
Children used to laugh a lot but we as an adult have infrequent touches of laughter and more seriousness. But we can look out for opportunities where we can laugh and enjoy and improve our emotional health, find happiness and in turn add several years to our life.
How Laughter is good for health
- Laughter relaxes: A good amount of laughter relieves physical pain and stress and makes your muscles relaxed even after 45 minutes.
- Laughter boosts our immune system: it improves the resistance power from diseases as laughter helps in decreasing stress hormones and increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies.
- Laughter releases a good amount of endorphins: Laughter releases a natural feel-good chemical in the body called endorphins that promotes an overall sense of well-being and even temporarily relieves pain.
- Laughter is good for the heart: It increases blood flow and enhances the functionality of blood vessels which can protect the body against heart attack or any other cardiovascular problems.
- Laughter burns calories: There can be no replacement for exercise but laughing for around 10-15 minutes a day can burn approx 40 calories. Thus, one can lose three or four pounds over the year.
- Laughter reduces anger: Shared laughter can diffuse anger or fights faster and enables one to move on without holding grudges for a long time.
- Laughter helps you in living longer: According to a study, people who have a strong sense of humor and laugh more live more than the ones who don’t laugh that much.
- Stay Mentally healthy with Laughter: You can always feel good with Laughter and the positive feeling remains with you even after it subsides. Humor keeps you optimistic during difficult situations, stress, and disappointments.
- Laughter gives you a way to find new sources of meaning and hopes apart from reducing sadness and pain. Even if you try to laugh or even smile in the toughest of situations it will make you feel better. Laughter being contagious instigates your brain and makes you smile even if you just hear it and you can join the fun.
Laughter and Mental Health
Laughter reduces stress-related hormones. It makes you forget the feeling of anger, sadness, and anxiousness.
Laughter recharges you and relaxes. It helps you in focussing on major goals by reducing stress and increasing energy.
Laughter shifts the perspective and is more realistic. A humorous perspective helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed and diffuse conflict.
Laughter increases bondedness resulting in a positive effect on mental and emotional health.
Bring laughter into Your life
Everyone can laugh and is innate and inborn in us. An Infant begins to smile during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months. Even if in your household laughter was not common one can learn it at any stage of life.
Here are a few ways to start Laughing
- Smile: Practice smiling while looking at someone or something. Avoid using phones and look up to smile at people passing by and notice the effect on others.
- Be content with what you have: Listening to the positive things in your life will make you avoid the negative thoughts and you will be open to humor and laughter.
- Move towards laughter: If a person shares something funny it not only brings a smile to others but also helps the person in laughing again.
- Spend your time with playful people: Both playful points of view and laughter are contagious. Even if you are not humorous you can look out for people who can make you laugh.
- Add humor to conversations: It helps in lightening your burden and makes you stress-free.
Develop sense of humor
The best way to take yourself less seriously is to talk about times for you being serious for yourself.
1. Look for the humor in a bad situation when something negative happens Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up from stressed and negative situations. If you hear a joke or funny story you really like, write it down or tell it to someone to help you remember it.
2. Try to avoid negative people and don’t dwell on news stories, entertainment, or conversations that make you sad or unhappy.
3.Try to emulate the child, and laugh at ordinary things.
4. Keep your stress levels in check and draw upon a favorite memory that always makes you smile.
Don’t go a day without laughing.
Think of it like exercise or breakfast and make a conscious effort to find something each day that makes you laugh. Set aside 10 to 15 minutes and do something that amuses you. The more you get used to laughing each day, the less effort you’ll have to make.
The ability to laugh, play, and have fun makes life more enjoyable and even helps you solve problems, connect with others, and think more creatively. People who incorporate humor and play into their daily lives, renew them and all of their relationships.
Life brings challenges that can either get the best of you or become playthings for your imagination. When you take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to think outside the box and find new solutions. But when you play with the problem, you can often transform it into an opportunity for creative learning.