Laughter is indeed the best medicine
ONE of the things we have all been missing out on during the last year of social distancing and meeting less in person is laughter. It has so many powerful benefits for your health. Laughter stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles. It increases your intake of oxygen-rich air and the endorphins that are released by your brain. It activates and relieves the stress response in your body.
Robert Provine, a leading laughter scientist found that babies laugh 300 times a day, while adults laugh only 20 times on average. According to him, laughter peaks when we are five years of age (2012).
In times of increased stress, like now for so many, laughter provides a powerful source of stress relief. Whether you are reading jokes on whatsap, memes on twitter or giggling while watching Netflix, laughter fires up and then calms your stress response. It increases and then decreases your heart rate and blood pressure. The result is that you enjoy a good and relaxed feeling.
While it can’t solve all your problems, it is shown to do many more positives for mind and body and boosting your wellbeing by lightening your load mentally. When you are relaxed, you can then go back to facing your fears and handling your problems with a fresh and clear mind. Laughter also eases tension by stimulating circulation and aiding muscle relaxation, both of which alleviate the physical symptoms of stress.
In addition to the immediate, short-term benefits above, laugher has a strong and positive impact in the long term. It also has the potential to:
1. Boost your immune system. Negative thoughts generate chemical reactions that can affect your body through increasing stress and decreasing your immunity. Positive thoughts and laughter can release neuropeptides that help fight stress and even potentially more-serious illnesses.
2. Boost your mood. Laughter can reduce depression and anxiety and make you feel happier, lighter and more joyful. This gives us the ability to withstand more stress.
3. Give pain relief. Laughter has the potential to ease pain as the body produces its own natural painkillers.
4. Social Wellbeing and relationships – as you are lighter and laugh more, people will want to be in your company and this will also have a positive impact on relationships which may even open the doors to deeper and more fruitful relationships overtime.
5. Increased life satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations help you be more resilient.
If the pandemic has deprived you of many of your previous sources of laughter and joy, it is so important to replace them and find new ways of connecting and laughing. Whether that is through watching funny movies, cracking jokes with friends on zoom or going for walks and meeting people as restrictions lift, it is key to find ways to laugh to maintain and boost your wellbeing. Even if it feels forced, laughter has many benefits for the body. This is why laughter yoga is practiced in so many parts of the world.
It is not only important to you get yourself laughing but then to share it. Spread your cheer. You never know the difference you are making by giving someone a chuckle at a critical moment. It is also important to know what is not funny and hurtful. Laughter at the expense of others is not funny.
This week, reflect on how much you smile and laugh and inject more laughter into your life. You, your body, mind, muscles and immune will all benefit ! Enjoy.