Reasons Why Laughter is the Best Medicine

Here’s why laughter is good for your health. Lengthy, hearty laughs impact you better than some medication could. Laughter helps to boost your health, positively impacting your body and mind. Laughter reduces your risk of feeling the effects of stress. It also reduces the likelihood that you will succumb to the effects of a heart attack, as well as alleviating any pain that you may experience. Laughter is so effective that it can temporarily relieve the body from chronic pain. Laughter also boosts your immune system, as well as improves your likelihood of getting along with other people. 

Here is why you should laugh more

Laughter reduces stress

Laughter releases endorphins and other chemicals that help to reduce the effects of stress. Laughter enhances the flow of positive emotion, which will improve the mental, physical and emotional state of the body. You will be less likely to experience stress because of these benefits of laughing. The feel good effect of endorphins helps to make you less stressful and less prone to the effects of depression.

Laughter also stimulates the body’s circulation of blood, which helps to relax your muscles. Laughter could help reduce the effects of stress, which may include tense physical and emotional states, by relaxing your body.

These compounds also have anti-tumor and anti-viral properties, which helps the body to be less likely to develop diseases such as the flu, diabetes and a number of cancers. Laughing can also be a form of peaceful meditation which targets reducing your body’s stress levels.

   

Laughter is good for your heart

When you laugh, the overall levels of blood flow and the pressure of blood flowing within your veins increase. The more you laugh, the more your body will experience these changes. An increase in blood flow and dilation of the blood vessels will improve the health of your heart and vessels.

Laughing helps your body to develop a stronger endothelium. The endothelium is tasked with adjusting coagulation and thickening, regulating the flow of blood and secreting chemicals that heal the body from infection, wounds and irritation.

A healthy endothelium will result in a reduced risk of cardiovascular conditions, heart attacks and stroke. The changes that occur in the heart muscles and blood pressure levels help to develop a stronger, healthier heart.

  

Laughter can strengthen your immunity

Laughter boosts the immune system by playing a significant role in the release of a number of key hormones.

Just as negative emotion may negatively affect your immunity, positive emotion may boost its health. Laughter is one of the most positive emotions there are. These effects are both physical and mental.

After enjoying a hearty and lengthy laugh, your body produces more of the enzyme complement-3, which helps your antibodies by helping them identify and piercing cells that are infected or dysfunctional. This will help the body target infection before it sets in.

Laughing helps to boost the release of B-Cells and T-Cells which organize and activate immune system responses. These cells also cluster near the lymph nodes and fight dangerous microorganisms.

Laughing boosts the production of gamma interferon which activates the immune system’s action against infection. It also boosts cell growth and regeneration.

Laughing also helps to boost the production of immunoglobulin, which is an antibody that helps to fight against infections along the respiratory tract.

Laughter increases your likelihood of socialization

Laughing is a social behavior that is considered warm and friendly.

All around the world, laughing symbolizes happiness and elation. People laugh when they are happy. People will be friendlier towards you and be more likely to interact with you if you exhibit happiness. Even where a language barrier exists, laughing can increase your likelihood of interaction.

Laughing around your family and friends can be relaxing for everyone involved. If you spend time interacting with the people around you, you will develop stronger bonds between you and be closer as a result.

Laughter is a painkiller

Laughter releases endorphins, which help to relieve pain.

Laughing releases this feel-good hormone and causes the body to overcome even chronic levels of pain. Laughing has been used for pain relief even back as early as the 14th century, to alleviate pain during surgery.

Many people who are undergoing substance abuse treatment are suffering from dependency on an opioid painkiller. Laughter releases the same hormones that these opioids also release in the brain, which relieve the body of pain.

Unlike the opioids, laughter is not addictive and will not inhibit future production of the hormones.

Laughter helps you sleep better

Laughing helps your body to increase the production of melatonin. This enzyme is also released when your body begins to signal for sleep.

By boosting the production of melatonin, you will be more likely to fall asleep quicker. You may be less prone to insomnia as a result of regular early and quick sleep.

Laughing will help you get more sleep, which will reduce your likelihood of getting diabetes, heart conditions and experiencing the effects of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. 

Laughter helps your digestion

Have you ever laughed so hard that your stomach started to ache?

As you laugh, your abdominal muscles expand and contract with every palpitation. The stronger your laughter is, the more likely that you will experience these abdominal palpitations.

The expansion and contraction of abdominal muscles helps to increase the stomach’s rate of digestion. It will improve the blood flow to these muscles, as well as help them to increase their capacity to consume energy which will help them digest better.

Final thoughts

Laughter has medicinal benefits for so many parts of your body. It heals your heart, helps your mind and stomach, and helps you to get along with other people better. You don’t even need a gruelling health diet to live healthily. You can laugh your way to good health.

While laughter has these benefits, it is important to add other beneficial practices to your life to help you to maximize on their potential. You could laugh, exercise and eat healthy for maximum benefit.