Eight remarkable health benefits of laughter
As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. If you google ‘quotes about laughter’, your screen will be loaded with countless links to laughter quotes. Laughter is a universal human behaviour that genuinely makes us happy. There is a ubiquitous sense of wellness and comfort associated with laughter. Every laughter quote cites a positive feeling such as love, happiness, or bliss. Philosophers, writers, and even religions have referenced laughter in their quotes, books, and poetry.
For example, Plato said, “Even the gods love jokes.” “A smile starts on the lips, a grin spreads to the eyes, a chuckle comes from the belly; but a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, overflows, and bubbles all around.” — Carolyn Birmingham. Victor Hugo said: “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face” – one of my favourite quotes. Laughter is even mentioned in the bible: He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast. — Proverbs 15:15
Why’s laughter the best medicine?
There’s no doubt laughter helps us feel better and happier. We’ve all had moments of sorrow and tears interrupted by a joke that made us laugh hard and lifted our spirits. In addition, humor can reduce stress levels. Sometimes when I feel stressed out at work, I connect with a funny coworker only to be entertained by their witty comments. Laughter also releases anger and opens hearts to forgiveness, like when your hubby or partner says something funny after pissing you off.
Laughter is good for your body
According to Mayo Clinic, laughter has healing properties and the power to bring the body back into balance. And here are some excellent reasons to believe this is true:
Boost the immune system
Laughing decreases stress hormones and increases your immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies. This, in turn, improves the body’s ability to fight disease.
Relaxation
“OMG, that’s so funny; I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.” We’ve all said this sentence at least once in our lives, and it felt so good. A good laugh relieves physical tension and stress, relaxing muscles for up to 45 minutes!
Euphoria
Laughter helps release endorphins, and natural painkillers, which help reduce physical pain and deliver a sense of relaxation.
Laugh to burn calories
A study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories. So now you can cut 10 minutes of your workout and enjoy a good laugh.
Laughing takes care of the heart
Laughing increases blood flow through your organs, including heart vessels, which get the heart pumping. Thus, it can assist in reducing the chance of heart attack and cardiovascular problems.
Laughter is good for your mental health
Mental wellness is a vital social topic in our modern era. So, of course, laughing about it is a serious issue we should be addressing. The best prescription to ward off the blues is the laughter pill. As they say, “the more you laugh, the less you cry.” And laughing reduces the feeling of anxiety, anger, and sadness.
Laughter changes our mindset. Sometimes, humor creates a psychological distance and diffuses conflict when we are stuck with one perspective that is causing a conflict. This allows us to see the situation in a less threatening light.
Laughter strengthens relationships with others
The best laughs happen in the company of friends and family. We are likely to laugh more when we socialize than when alone. Reality is, in most cases, we laugh from spending time with friends than hearing jokes. And that’s because we appreciate the social aspect of being around others. Technology – and gadgets significantly – affect physical interaction and face-to-face engagement in today’s world. When we switch off our phones and interact with people we care about, we feel happier, relaxed, loved, and more in position.
Sharing humor and laughs keeps relationships exciting and fresh. Of course, we build lasting relationships when we share emotional feelings while sharing laughter brings joy and liveliness. Do you recall when humor helped heal disagreements, hurts, and resentments? My husband is a master at diffusing arguments. He is consistently exploiting his sense of humor to calm things down when an idea gets too heated. His spontaneous humor can surely get him out of trouble!
Laughter helps us simmer down resentment and criticism and let go of defensiveness. When humor is infused into a disagreement, it allows us to release our inhibitions and express our true feelings.
Bring more laughter into your life
Laughter is a natural inclination we are born with. We learn to smile during the first few weeks of life and laugh before we can even talk. It is rooted in our DNA and is one of the most accessible human learning behaviors.
I grew up hearing jokes from my family and relatives and was always surrounded by laughter. Whenever we got together with relatives, everyone was eager to tell us the latest stunt. It is common for us as a family to use lighthearted sarcasm as jokes. And the funny thing is, memories of our social gatherings from childhood still echo in my psyche.
Spending time with funny people is one way to bring more humor into our lives. People with a humorous point of view are contagious! Smiling is also infectious and has a powerful impact on people. I just love hanging out with friends who laugh for the silliest reason. Their cheerfulness is genuinely contagious and relaxing.
Smile even though your heart is aching
Charlie Chaplan
When you are out in public, smile for people on the street or for the person serving your breakfast. And, instead of looking down at your phone, look up and smile at people you share an elevator with.
Practicing gratitude and counting our blessings gives us a sense of hope and joy. When we count our blessings, we realize the excellent aspects of our life and forget about the negative thoughts that stand against humor and laughter.
Introduce humor into conversations: learn a few good jokes to share with friends and family. For example, ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today?” or tell them something funny that happened to you even if you’ve said it a million times in the past. We all have encountered hilarious situations that are worth sharing.
Adopt a dog or play with one. Ok, this is a subjective comment because I am a dog owner. Dogs are a “man’s best friend” for many reasons besides loyalty. They truly bring so much joy and endless laughter. Our dog passed away on Christmas day, 2021, yet some of the fondest memories of Romeo were his hilarious stunts which were practically every day!
Summary
Laughter, humor, and smiles are part of human nature. They are a birthright we are blessed to have. The physical, emotional, and social benefits of laughter have been widely shared by poems, prophets, writers, and philosophers throughout human history. Allowing oneself to laugh, smile and joke are many secrets to happiness and overall wellness.
A gratitude journal for tired-ass women
Even the title made me LOL. I mean aren’t we all tired-ass women?
A Meditation Journal for Snarky-Ass Mofos
It’s definitely a shitshow this March 2020. This journal will help you focus on and find inner strength.
Laugh challenge
Try not to laugh if you aim to win this challenge 🙂
A side note: Elle Muse is a marketing affiliate which means we do get a small financial reward (commission) on orders you may place through the links. However, it doesn’t cost you more to shop through this site. We simply curate our favourite pieces and offer suggestions. Your support helps sustain Elle Muse blog. Happy shopping. Privacy policy: click here.
