Is it possible that laughter can make a difference in your health? There are convincing indications that there may be good reasons to laugh at life.

Laughter Feels Good
It is unclear whether laughter alone deserves all of the credit, or if the physical effects of smiling and the greater degree of happiness associated with laughter also deserve recognition, but the benefits of laughter in regard to health are difficult to deny. There is something about laughter that brings people together – uniting them in a common feeling of improved fellowship. Laughter is a great tool for “breaking the ice” with people and getting to feel at ease with them. In a simple, but unmistakable way, it feels good to laugh, and though laughter may not be a precise instrument of scientific measurement, it is an important aspect of health and overall well-being.

Actual Health Benefits
In addition to simply feeling good, studies have revealed tangible and observable health benefits that are derived from laughter. A short description and summary of the health benefits of laughter is as follows:

Decreased Stress: Laughter helps the body to release endorphins, which serve as the body’s natural defenses for pain and stress.

Cardiovascular Effects: (Blood Pressure, Heart, and Lungs): During laughter the body experiences a surge in blood pressure and respiration that is similar to the effects of physical exercise. After laughing is concluded, it has been demonstrated that blood pressure declines to a lower level than it was found to be prior to the episode of laughter, thus allowing the body to have a healthy moment of exertion followed by a period of lowered physical tension. While laughter should never be considered a replacement for exercise, it offers the body some of the benefits that come from physical exercise.

Laughter causes varying degrees of purging of carbon dioxide from the lungs and enhanced delivery of oxygen to the body. The heart benefits from each of these processes, experiencing mild exertion and receiving an increased supply of oxygen to its tissues. In this respect, laughter is good for the heart, as well as the associated systems that it sustains.

Immunity: Laughter helps to boost immunity by increasing antibodies that fight illnesses, whereas negative thoughts can have the opposite effect. Laughter decreases the amount of cortisol in the body, and thereby inhibits the suppression of immunity.

Other Health Benefits: Under Investigation: While doctors are not likely to write prescriptions based on hours of laughter anytime soon, it should be noted that laughter has been used in conjunction with other remedies in therapies used for combating the effects of cancer. It is logical that negativity and depression can impede the healing and immune responses of the body, and that conversely; optimism, positivity, and laughter can work to enhance the body’s ability to combat disease.

There are also some indications that laughter may be beneficial in moderating the effects of pain by utilizing the same endorphins that relieve stress. Laughter may also stimulate learning activities of the brain, which if true, may indicate the benefit of a positive and laughter-promoting classroom.

Got Laughter?
Are you laughing enough? According to wiki.cmich.edu, “healthy people laugh 100 to 400 times a day.” That may sound like a lot of laughter, but it may serve as a wake up call to see just how much laughing you do in a day. Are you anywhere near the lower end of the healthy rate for laughter in a day? Make a mental note to count each time you laugh in a day. In consideration of the potential health benefits that you can enjoy, it may be a good idea to laugh more frequently, to smile and find joy in each day, and to share more happiness and laughter with others.

Laughter can Make a Difference
It is very possible that laughter can make a difference in your health. Look for reasons to laugh frequently, and get others to join in when you can. Laughter is a great stress reliever that always seems to make you feel a little better than you did before. While you may not be able to prove that you are healthier because you laugh, there is one thing that will always true…it is difficult to hate life while you are laughing at it.

Related Articles:

Letting Go of Little Things: Find relief from anger and worry by letting go of little things that bother you in life.

Benefits of a Nap: Is it lazy to take a mid-day nap, or have other societies had it right all along? A nap may be just what the body needs.

Sources:

Stress relief from laughter? Yes, no joke, Accessed 10-9-2010
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00034

R. Morgan Griffin, Give your Body a Boost – with Laughter,  Accessed 10-9-2010
http://women.webmd.com/guide/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter

The Connection between Laughter, Humor, and Good Health, Accessed 10-9-2010
www.ca.uky.edu/HES/FCS/factshts/hsw-caw-807.pdf

Fun Facts about Laughter, Accessed 10-10-2010
http://wiki.cmich.edu/groups/southcampus/wiki/5f35a/