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It's a safe assumption that everyone loves to laugh. While it's a lot of fun to burst into uncontrollable guffaws, the health benefits are serious.
Laughter is a multivalent health booster. It helps the body, calms the soul and bonds people together.
Physical Benefits of Laughter
A good, hearty giggle does wonders for one's body. It builds up the immune system, acts as a pain-reliever, protects the heart and provides a workout.
According to an article on helpguide.org, laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies.
Laughter is said to increase the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A. It is an antibody that functions as the main immune defense mechanism in saliva, according to a review for the American Society for Microbiology.
The antibody defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.
It also decreases the overall number of stress hormones, improving your resistance to disease, states the helpguide.org article.
Stress hormones hurt the immune system, increasing the number of blood platelets and raising blood pressure, states an article on laughter on How Stuff Work's website. When we are laughing, though, beneficial cells take care of tumors and viruses as well as increase cells that help the immune system, the website stated.
Chuckles and titters can also aid in taking care of pain.
Laughter gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just have a higher pain tolerance.
The heart will also be thankful for a laughing.
"Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems," states the Help Guide article.
A good laugh can be equitable to a good work out.
Laughter works the diaphragm and abdominal, respitory, facial, leg and back muscles, states the How Stuff Works article. But don't quit going to the gym, it takes a lot of laughter to total an adequate amount of calorie burn.
"Laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike," the article states.
Mental Benefits of Laughter
The mind is as treated as the body when it comes to laughing.
"The psychological benefits of humor are quite amazing, according to the doctors and nurses who are members of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor. People often store negative emotions, such as anger, sadness and fear, rather than expressing them. Laughter provides a way for these emotions to be harmlessly released," states the How Stuff Works article.
It eases anxiety, relieves stress, improves mood and enhances resilience, states the Help Guide article.
Apart from that, it just makes life more fun, acting as seasoning to everyday events.
Social Benefits of Laughter
Arguably the strongest effect laughter has on a person is in the realm of his or her social well-being.
"Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter [there is], the more bonding [occurs] within [a] group," cultural anthropologist Mahadev Apte is quoted as saying in another How Stuff Works article.
It binds people together, increases intimacy, eases conflict and attracts people to one another, states the Help Guide article.
Laughter sews us together.
