The Surprising Benefits of a Good Laugh

The proverb ‘Laughter is the best medicine’ means that ‘laughter is the best way to recover’. The implication of this proverb is that ‘laughter is better at curing us than other things (like pills)’.

When you laugh while reading a joke, or watching anything humorous; you are doing something good for your health. Sharing a laugh with a friend or a family member can enlighten your day, no matter how down-and-out you feel. There are many benefits of laughter. Laughter is known to reduce stress, boost immunity, improve heart health and increase the confidence of a person.

Of course, it would be dangerous not to take the prescriptions given to us by doctors. However, scientific studies have been borne out this proverb.

Here are Some Surprising Benefits of Laughter:

1. It Increases Your Immunity

Have you ever laughed so hard while you had a headache, that for a second you thought that the pain had gone away? Well, it is quite common to feel good with a roar of laughter when you are sick. Stress releases negative chemicals in the body that weakens the body’s immunity system.

Studies have shown that laughing releases neuropeptides, which help fight illness and stress, thereby boosting the immunity of the system.

2. It Increases Pain Tolerance

One of the leading benefits of laughter is that it increases pain tolerance. Laughter releases mood-enhancing hormones endorphin which helps you stay distracted from the aches and increases your tendency to tolerate pain.

According to a British study, if you laugh for 15 minutes, then it can increase pain tolerance by around 10 percent due to endorphins being released in the brain. Another research done at Oxford University revealed that people feel less pain when they laugh. The study confirmed that it is laughter itself, and not just positive emotions that help in relieving pain.

3. It Helps in Building Social Relationships

Everyone likes to be with a company who can make them laugh. Studies show that men love women who laugh in their presence and vice versa. When we laugh with others, we make those around us feel happy, minimize their stress level and improve the quality of social interaction.

4. It is Good for Our Heart’s Health

The heart is a muscle which functions better with exercise, which is why laughter, is considered healthy for the heart. When we laugh, the blood flow improves as the tissue that composes the lining of the blood vessels expands. This plays a significant role in keeping heart diseases at bay. Also, laughter reduces the blood pressure.  Thus, fill your heart with a good laugh to prevent heart diseases.

5. It Boosts Confidence

Confident and successful people have one thing in common: no matter the hard times they face or how much mistakes they commit, they have the ability to accept their mistakes and laugh at their own mistakes. When you learn not to take stress on petty things and handle any mistake with a smile on your face, it improves your decision-making ability and also boosts your confidence that any bad time will pass. Thus, laugh in hard times too, just know that it will pass and you will have a brighter future if you accept your mistakes heartily and work on it.

So after reading the good benefits of laughter go out there and share a good laugh with someone.

Live. Love. Laugh