.png)
.png)
.png)
Laughter Is the Best Medicine, According to Science
Laughter is the best medicine. The beautiful part of that prescription is that this medicine has an effect on many of the ailments that might be affecting you. Most importantly, laughter helps to alleviate stress. AND refill's are FREE!
In this world today, stress is inevitable. The good thing about stress is that this reaction in the body is keeping us alive. This fight-or-flight response makes sure we get away from whatever is causing us this 'stress'. The big issue with this response system our bodies are so good at is that we seem to be surrounded, and embedded, in stressors all. the. time.
This causes our system to stay in this heightened readiness, which is both exhausting and depleting of all the other body systems. Your immunity, hormones and digestion feel the long-term effects of all this stress you are swallowing into your system.
It is time to alleviate this stress in the most intuitive, immediate and fun way; LET'S LAUGH!
Check out this cute and hilarious video of a jumping goat:
Few things make us laugh more than watching, or making a baby or child laugh. Get a few smiles and guffaws before we get into the science of why this is a good practice to get into for your health.
Humans seem to really understand that laughter is a great way to connect to another person, and to really enjoy and get juicy in a big belly laugh. We seek it out, both on the giving and receiving of laughter, and science backs this up with how this seemingly silly action works to bring your 'normal' to a more relaxed state and helps to support your body's other processes.
There are many reasons that funny pet videos are one of the highest watch videos online. We can't get enough of the giggles, funny felines, and crazy canines!
So Why Laugh?
Releases Endorphins
Laughing in a group, like with your family and friends, online zoom call, or just hearing someone lose it on the phone, releases endorphins in the brain. These are the body’s own feel-good chemicals that are released through the opioid receptors. Through laughter therapy, your brain produces more opioid receptors, inducing euphoria.
Forms Social Bonds
Laughing is contagious, both funny to watch and be part of the joke or event. Sharing a laugh means more than a punch line, it is about connecting. Endorphin release, promoting a sense of togetherness and safety, laughter has a domino effect. When a person in a group laughs, everyone else will start to laugh even if they’re not sure what they are laughing about. As a result, each one of you in the social unit starts to feel good and experience a feeling of relief. The best part of this point is that you can laugh just as effectively online as you can in person.
Stimulates Brain Connectivity
There are different kinds of laughter. When we hear someone laughing, our brain tries to decipher what kind of laugh it is, activating connecting between different brain regions.
Protects Your Heart
Studies also revealed that laughter therapy has an anti-inflammatory effect that helps protect the heart and blood vessels from the damaging effects of cardiovascular disease. Since the body’s stress response is directly linked to increased inflammation, laughing often, and unabashedly, can help counter such a condition.
Acts Like an Antidepressant
Research shows that laughing affects a person much as an antidepressant does. When you laugh or when you hear someone laughing, it activates the release of serotonin, the brain chemical affected by most types of antidepressants. Even forced laughter releases hormones, like neuropeptides and dopamine, which can improve your mood. Laughersize and Laughter yoga treatments and therapy sessions are all based on practicing inciting positive reactions and behaviours.
Pain Relief
While laughing doesn’t necessarily make you feel less pain, studies show that it can help people become less bothered by the pain they are feeling. In other words, it affects your perception of pain and helps you cope with it better. Laughter is indeed a strong medicine that not only helps us cope with stressful and painful situations better but also brings communities closer together. So whenever you feel stressed or worried, find someone to laugh with.
How to host a laughter party, and why your guest will thank you, through tears of joy:
Monica Polo is Co-Founder and COO of Voxie. As a practicing interior designer (BID) and a Materials Health and Wellness educator, Monica brings current and relevant practices on how to holistically design a healthier world. This allows her readers, students and clients, to own their own wellness and move toward positive change, at their pace. As a social activist, she weaves the Burning Man, 10 principles into her personal wellness philosophy through her work at the Design Center, at RSID. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her two sons.