LAUGHTER

 

Humour can do more than simply lighten the mood. Psychologists and doctors have reason to believe that laughter can benefit us in a number of ways. Schools of psychology and medicine still need to do more research to draw any definitive, scientific conclusions but here are a few ways laughing may help us live better:

It Can Relieve Stress.

Laughing makes us feel good. That is no surprise, of course. But that good feeling is more than a purely psychological response. Research suggests laughing causes positive physical effects. Laughing increases our intake of oxygen-rich air, helping our heart and muscles. It activates our stress response - increasing heart rate and blood pressure - and then cools it down, leaving us with a sense of relaxation. And laughing stimulates circulation, which can alleviate some of the symptoms of stress.

It Can Lower Blood Pressure.

You have probably heard that being stressed can raise your blood pressure. Taking time to smile and laugh can lower blood pressure. This has to do with the way our arteries respond when we are amused. Research has shown that, after watching a funny movie, our arterial compliance (i.e. how well our blood is flowing) improves for the next twenty-four hours.

It Can Burn Calories.

Have you ever felt a bit tired after spending a night laughing with friends? There is a good reason for that. Laughter is, after all, a physical activity. While it is not as good as a workout like going for a run, however 10–15 minutes of laughing can burn 50 calories.

It May Help Our Immune System.

While laughter's exact effect on our immune system is not yet fully understood, research suggests a positive link. One way laughter helps our immune system is by fighting the kinds of stress that are known to weaken our immune response. Laughter may also increase production of antibodies and activate T-cells which help us defeat pathogens in our body.

It Can help Fight Depression.

Those suffering from depression often struggle to feel joy for any extended period of time. However, most people with depression can still laugh and that laughter can be part of their treatment. The effectiveness of laughter as a treatment for depression centres on the mind-body connection. Laughter helps us feel physically better and those physical improvements - better blood flow, more oxygen, less stress, better sleep - can, in turn, improve our mood.

It Can Make Us Smarter.

You may not want to call a movie a “dumb comedy” ever again. Humour - even silly movies - can improve our ability to make connections between disparate pieces of information. Since the ability to make connections between bits of information is one of the key ways we measure intelligence, it is quite possible that laughing makes us smarter.

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