http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-health-benefits-of-laughter.html
8 Health Benefits of Laughter
Is there anything better than a contagious giggle that you absolutely can’t control? (Ok, maybe not so good in school or church.) Laughter works so wonderfully well in the moment, but it has some surprising long-term health benefits as well. In the book A Better Brain at Any Age: The Holistic Way to Improve Your Memory, Reduce Stress, and Sharpen Your Wits (Conari Press, 2009), author Sondra Kornblatt explores how laughter can truly make you feel better.
She writes that the new field of gelotology is exploring the benefits of laughter. It was brought to the public’s awareness in Norman Cousins’ memoir Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins found that comedies, like those of the Marx Brothers, helped him feel better and get some pain-free sleep. That’s because laughter helps the pituitary gland release its own pain-suppressing opiates.
What can laughter do?:
- Lower blood pressure
- Increase vascular blood flow and oxygenation of the blood
- Give a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles
- Reduce certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
- Increase the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells
- Defend against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds–by immunoglobulon in saliva.
- Increase memory and learning; in a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increased test scores
- Improve alertness, creativity, and memory
Humor and creativity work in similar ways, says humor guru William Fry, M.D., of Stanford University–by creating relationships between two disconnected items, you engage the whole brain.
Humor works quickly. Less than a half-second after exposure to something funny, and electrical wave moves through the higher brain functions of the cerebral cortex. The left hemisphere analyzes the words and structures of the joke; the right hemisphere “gets” the joke; the visual sensory area of the occipital lobe creates images; the limbic (emotional) system makes you happier; and the motor sections make you smile or laugh.
So let’s laugh. What makes you laugh? Tell us your favorite funny movie, or how about a good joke?
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101 comments
add your comment »go see The Hangover. If that doesn't make you laugh and keep you healthy, you need help
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-got caught off because Care2 doesn't like hrts.
So.
*I hrt corny jokes.
They're my favourite way to laugh.
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What did one snowman say to another?
...
it smells like carrots!
I
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Thanks Melissa! A daily giggle is good! :)
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I LOVE TO LAUGH IT TAKES ALL MY PROBLEMS AWAY FOR A TIME MAKES ME LIGHT HEARTED AND HAPPY
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Marx Brothers movies. They're old and silly, but if you let yourself go they're still some of the funniest film ever made. I started with "Monkey Business" expecting to hate it and instead got hooked.
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thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner
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It just makes you feel good all over!!!
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laughter is the best in medicine.
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I love this, especially as Laughter Yoga leader! Please visit our website if you are interested in learning more about LY! We have a wealth of resources, a fun blog and even phone numbers for free live laughter teleconferences that happen every day across the globe! www.laughterincorporated.com
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