Life isn’t always fun, but did you know there are many benefits to laughing even when life is hard? You can stay healthier and happier just by making it a point to laugh on a regular basis. Whether you wear a funny t-shirt or think it’s hilarious to wear an offensive tee, laughing more can be as easy as putting on a shirt that tickles your funny bone. Check out the following great reasons to look for humor every day.
1-Laughter is a Natural Pain Reliever
You may not need to take acetaminophen for mild back pain or a light headache. Scientists discovered long ago that laughter is a natural pain reliever, and it’s sometimes more effective than pain pills. All the way back in the 1300s, a French surgeon helped patients to recover from surgery by distracting them from their pain using humor. A study published in 2011 supports that old theory. It was found that individuals experience greater tolerance for pain when engaged in social laughter, which is laughter in a social group.
The best explanation for this phenomenon is the release of endorphins when you laugh. Endorphins are pain-reducing feel-good hormones.
2-Laughter Burns Calories
If you like to find ways to burn calories without sweating at the gym, here’s some good news: You can burn calories simply with hearty laughter. A study comparing two groups of people found that 10 calories were burned in 10 minutes among the group that watched funny films, causing a lot of group laughter. The second group did not laugh and, consequently, no calories were burned.
3-Laughter is an Anxiety Reducer
Anxiety is associated with all kinds of health problems. Laughter therapy was given to various research participants, and many signs of the benefits of laughing were discovered. For example, laughter has the following effects on the following people:
- Patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease had less anxiety with laugh therapy.
- Menopausal women experienced relief from depression and an improvement of self-esteem and optimism with nothing but laughter.
- Nursing students had reduced levels of depression and anxiety, thanks to laughter.
4-Laughter Helps you Breathe
A study by the International Journal of Humor Research found that a long belly laugh has the effects of exercising at the gym. Laughter causes increased oxygen consumption, respiratory rate, and heart rate. You can relax and breathe better, and sometimes that’s all a person needs.
5-Laughter Helps you Stay Positive
Some days, it can be a struggle to smile, but an attitude adjustment can turn things around. Attitude is always a choice, and laughter can help you shift from feeling sour to looking on the bright side of things. You can even concentrate better when you laugh because it reduces tension. On the flipside, an absence of laughter has no benefits whatsoever.
Let’s See Those Teeth!
Life is short and it’s a whole lot better with plenty of laughter. The five benefits of laughter outlined above are just a few of many. Explore some more and, if need be, do some research on ways to smile, chuckle, and guffaw more often.
