The Magic Of Laughter
Author: Julianna Cooper, Challenge America Program Coordinator
We’ve all heard it - laughter is the best medicine!
In celebration of today being National Let’s Laugh Day and tomorrow being International Day of Happiness, we wanted to take a moment and highlight the benefits of daily laughter!
This article from the Mayo clinic highlights both the short and long term benefits of laughter - whether you’re chuckling at CAVARTist Bill Rhodes’ daily “Hank and Boats” comics, laughing until tears with family and friends, or enjoying your favorite sitcom, laughing has real benefits - no joke! We’re featuring some of the benefits laid out in this article below.
Short Term Benefits of Laughter:
Organ stimulation: Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
Activate and relieve your stress response: A great laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A feeling of relaxation.
Soothe tension: Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
Long Term Benefits of Laughter:
Improve your immune system: Negative thoughts create real chemical reactions, affecting the body by increasing stress and decreasing immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
Relieve pain: Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers.
Increase personal satisfaction: Laughter can make it easier to cope with difficult situations, and help you connect with other people.
Improve your mood: Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen stress, depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier. It can also improve your self-esteem.
