Research has displayed health benefits of laughter changing from strengthening the immune system to reducing food cravings to increasing one’s threshold for pain. There’s even an emerging therapeutic field known as humor therapy to aid people heal
fast, among other things. Humor also has more than a few significant stress relieving benefits.
Physical Release:
Have you ever felt like you “have to laugh or I’ll cry”? Have you felt the cleansed feeling after a strong laugh? Laughter provides both physical and emotional release.
Internal Workout:
A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.
Perspective:
Studies show that our reaction to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a ‘dander’ or a ‘challenge’. Humor can give us a more cheerful perspective and assist us view events as ‘challenges’, thereby making them less intimidating and more encouraging.
Hormones:
Laughter drops off the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.
Distraction:
Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.
Laughter connects us with other people. More than that, laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these profits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more!
