9 Interesting Benefits of Laughter

These days it seems as though everyone is angry about something, whether it is about the government, power supply, network providers, conductors, and so on, the bottom line is, there is always something to be pissed about.

The problems we face have clouded our thoughts and we forget to have good hearty laughter with friends and family. Getting pissed and beating yourself over things you have no control over can take a toll on your being and that is why happiness is needed.

Laughter and happiness go hand in hand, and sharing a good laugh at least once everyday will definitely have positive impacts on your life. Below is a list of some interesting benefits of laughter in your life.

1. Boost immune system

Studies have shown that laughter has the ability to stimulate antibody cells to develop faster by changing the body’s chemistry through hormonal shifts. Per the National Cancer Institute, laughter keeps the stress hormones under control and aids immune system agents such as the NK cells, lymphocytes, B cells, and T cells function optimally.

2. Reduce Aggression

Laughter helps reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body and relax the muscles, which helps you become calmer and less aggressive.

3. Regulates Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is one of the major causes of heart diseases and laughter has been proven to increase circulation and reduce blood pressure. While studies have shown that cheerful laughter causes an initial increase in arterial blood pressure due to the physical act of laughing, that rise is however followed by a decrease to below the normal resting blood pressure.

4. Enhances Mood

Laughter is synonymous to happiness. Laughter has been found to have an analgesic quality that reduces even unconscious pain, causing an improvement in mood. Even forced laughter, without a normally humorous stimulus, helps to improve mood because your brain does not actually register whether the stimulus is genuine or not. Therefore, even if you don’t have anything funny to laugh about, try as much as possible to have a good grin from time to time.

5. Improves relationships

Couples and families that laugh often have closer ties and do well in balancing the stresses of life.

6. Manage Pain

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that laughter helps the body release the feel-good chemical known as endorphin which acts as a great pain reliever as well as plays a significant role in increasing a person’s pain tolerance. In other words, whenever you find yourself reeling from pain, make sure to have a good laugh.

7. Improves Memory

Laughter can help enhance brain function and overall memory improvement. Remembering facts and recalling details when in a cheerful mood is easier because there are more linkages present in our memory. The connections and associations that the brain forms while learning can be widened when combined with an emotional response like laughter or humor.

8. Enhance Creativity

Laughter has a large number of effects on the chemical processes in the body, and one of such processes helps in enhancing creativity. As a matter of fact, there is a “creative thinking exercise” that involves laughing out loud.