Laughter is a powerful (and free!) medicine that you’re not taking enough of. Sharing a genuine laugh with a friend or co-worker can be enough to brighten our day, no matter how down-and-out we feel. Laughter is a stress-reducer, immunity-booster, heart-helper, and confidence-builder. here are some of its benefits;
1. Laughter stimulates your full body.
Feeling exhausted? A laugh can provide you with a full-body wake-up call that will help you feel energized and refreshed. Laughing will boost your oxygen intake and release endorphins, the feel-good hormones that make you happy.
2. Laughter makes you feel better.
“Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain.” — Charlie Chaplin
Have you ever been super stressed at work or school, maybe because everyone is being mean today or you have an exam coming up that you’re not even close to ready for, but then a friend told you a hilarious joke or story that made you laugh so hard you almost wet yourself? It is amazing how much better an explosive laugh can make us feel, especially if it’s totally out of the blue!
3. Laughter increases your immunity.
Negative stress causes chemical reactions in your body that decrease your immunity, making it more likely you will get sick. A hearty laugh fuels your immune system with disease-fighting powers that will help you stay healthy and energetic.
4. Laughter promotes heart health.
Laughter reduces blood pressure and improves blood flow, which will in turn reduce your odds of suffering a stroke or heart attack.
5. Laughter helps you stress less.
Have you ever been so frustrated with your day that you wanted to curl up in a ball and cry? I doubt anyone can honestly say, “No,” to that question because we’ve all been there, but why not laugh instead? How happy you are in life has less to do with how you act than it does how you react (and your reaction is always a choice, so keep it positive).
6. Laughter increases connection with others.
“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” — Victor Borge
Going on a first date with a guy or girl you have a maximum crush on? Relieve your nerves and increase the odds that you bond by doing something that will make you laugh. That could be a funny movie, comedy night, ski-ball, rollercoasters, or whatever your idea of “fun” might be.
7. Laughter burns calories.
“If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.” — Robert Frost
Don’t go skipping your workouts because of this, but laughter could offer a small assist to your fitness plan. Laughing raises your heart rate and caloric expenditure, resulting in about 10-40 calories burned over 15 minutes of laughter according to a study by the International Journal of Obesity.
8. Laughter boosts mood and confidence.
Confident people have an interesting ability: no matter how badly they mess up, they can laugh at themselves, handling any mistake in their stride as if it’s no big deal. Learning to laugh at yourself will help you develop an ability to improvise through any bone-headed decision you might make (thus minimizing stress, wasted time, and damage done).
If you ever find yourself at a live performance in a dark theatre or busy music hall, keep a close eye on the actors or musicians and see if you can catch a mistake. If they make one, they will no doubt carry on as if nothing happened (and possibly even use it to their advantage). Become a pro at improvising and you will become unstoppable.
