No joke ” laughter really is the best medicine.
Everyone enjoys a good laugh. But did you know that laughter is more than just fun; it’s actually really good for you?
Research has shown that the health benefits of laughter range from strengthening your immune system and reducing stress to increasing your tolerance to pain. There’s even a special form of therapy called humour therapy that’s used to help people with everything from mental illness to diabetes and cancer, as well as for people recovering from operations.
Just think about how you feel when you laugh. You feel good, right? That’s because when you laugh you’re setting off a whole chain reaction of positive physical effects.
The benefits of laughter are actually quite similar to exercise ” it gives your cardiovascular system a work-out, lowers your blood pressure and decreases your resting heart rate. This all helps to keep your heart healthy. It also works your stomach muscles (much more fun than sit-ups!), helps you digest your food and burns kilojoules.
Laughter also increases your brain function, makes you feel more alert and energetic, improves your memory and makes you feel happy. Socially, laughter can bring people together and ease an uncomfortable or stressful situation.
Laughing also increases your capacity to fight disease and relaxes your body, which can reduce problems associated with high blood pressure, strokes, arthritis, and ulcers.
It’s not hard to find something to make you laugh. From watching comedy programs on TV or reading a funny book to sharing a joke with friends and family, you’ll find that humour is everywhere. The more you laugh the happier and healthier you’ll be ” and the happier and healthier you are, the more you’ll feel like laughing. Works out well, doesn’t it?
It makes you think about that old saying ” an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Who needs apples? A good laugh will do the trick every time!
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