5 benefits of laughing you didn’t know about (even if you fake your laugh!)

In recent years, interest in laughter and its therapeutic applications has experienced an enormous boom. and today humor is part of new methods to treat stress, trauma, pain and all kinds of pathologies.

It has always been intuited that laughter contributes to the recovery of the sick, but more and more studies show the direct relationship between humor and health. Numerous studies indicate that not only natural laughter helps: inducing it -through laughter therapy techniques- helps to maintain good health and even smile without giving yourself, when faced with certain stimuli, it favors your good health, says a recent study.

health benefits of laughing

Humor is a biological survival mechanism developed to deal with everything that life denies us.“is the ability to see the contrasts and to look for the positive and creative side of any situation, and therefore it involves intelligence”.

Now discover how laughter protects and revitalizes even from a physiological point of viewand how is it linked to the immune system.

1. Laughter lowers stress hormones

“Laughter can have a beneficial effect that promotes healthy blood vessels,” says Dr. Brett Carroll, director of vascular medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard University.

Carroll explains that by laughing the brain secretes endorphins They stimulate the inner lining of blood vessels, which in turn produces nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes the arteries and lowers blood pressure.

At the same time, laughter helps reduce the production of stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, which put us on alert and constrict blood vessels, increasing the risks of high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.

2. Laughter Stimulates the immune system

Laughter stimulates the immune system by increase the number of antibody-producing cells and the number of so-called “natural killer (NK) cells”, a type of lymphocyte found in the blood.

3. Laugh loses weight!

It also helps to control body weight because reduces cortisol, a hormone known to lead to weight gain. A research published in the International Journal of Obesity has proven that laughter can burn calories.

The researchers divided a group of 45 participants into two groups, half of which watched funny movie clips for 10 minutes, and the other half watched non-humorous clips. Participants in both groups were connected to a calorimeter that measured energy expenditure and heart rate. They determined that those who laughed during the viewing burned up to 10 calories in 10 minutes, compared to those who didn’t laugh and didn’t burn calories.

4. Laughing protects the heart

A good and prolonged laugh causes an increase in heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen consumption, similar to how you would do a workout. A study published in the International Journal of Humor Research found that a half-hour session of laughter can have the same benefits as physical activity.

5. Laughter has an analgesic effect

Laughter can be as good as some pain relievers, something early doctors seemed to understand. In the 14th century, the French surgeon Henri de Mondeville used humor to distract patients from the pain of surgery and help them recover.

More modern research has found that participants who watch comedy videos they need less painkillers. In a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Laughter was found to be able to make us more resistant to pain. The authors suggest that “these results can be explained by the action of endorphins released by laughter.”

Tips to laugh more and better

Experts agree that the sense of humor is a “muscle” that needs exercise. We are all born with it but it has to develop.

Control stress. Humor requires an alert intelligence, knowing how to observe it when it happens. And for that it takes time. Haste doesn’t let us appreciate the funny side of life.be more spontaneous. Parties and informal gatherings with friends, family, partner or colleagues encourage laughter. Most people think that she is not funny or has a sense of humor but in reality she just needs opportunities to enhance her more creative and spontaneous side. We must recover the ability to play and rescue the child in us, taking care of a respectful mood with others.Practice with jokes. The first time a joke or amusing anecdote is explained, it is usually not very funny. With practice, expression improves remarkably. Gestures help laugh.laugh at yourself. With gravity and significance it’s hard to get going. You don’t have to take yourself so seriously. To begin with, just look in the mirror in the morning, make a few faces and smile without fear of ridicule,get close to the kids. They are the best teachers. With them you can rediscover laughter and return to a more direct and natural vocabulary.feed your mood. Collect anecdotes, comic strips, or funny jokes. Remember moments that made you laugh and write down everything that you find funny. Choose to watch funny movies. It is not about abstracting from the world’s problems but about leaving room for humor.

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