Laughter is the Best Medicine for Health and Happiness

By Krishan Gupta

SUGAR LAND: Humans are naturally attracted to those who laugh because it makes them feel good. Laughter is the best medicine to make you feel good and relieve your tiredness and sickness. It gives you a positive upbeat frame of mind, trigger’s healthy physical, emotional changes, boost and strengthens the immune system. It is a powerful antidote to stress, pain,  lighten burdens, and enhance relationships.  

The power of laughter is a part of life and can never be underestimated. It is extremely beneficial to the human body, and it has no known side effects. Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks. Cheerfulness suggests good health, a clear conscience and a soul at peace.

Laughter stimulates the heart and lungs, reduces allergies, improves memory and digestion. A lively laugh enhances the intake of oxygen, stimulates circulation and relieves discomfort.  Laughter releases good hormones like endorphins and serotonin, which can lower stress, decrease pain, relax muscles, lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, reduce the risk of heart attack, burn calories, lighten anger’s heavy load, increase resilience and combat depression to give an overall feeling of contentment.

Neuroplasticity is a process by which the human brain learns to evolve with changes in our behavior and environment.  Neuroplasticity enables us to train our brain to be humorous, laugh and become more positive.  Laughter also has a good physiological effect which helps to guard against weight gain, heart strains and lack of sleep.  

Laughter is a great workout, raising the heart rate and exercising the diaphragm, stomach and shoulder muscles, and it does not end there.  Along with the social, chemical, and physical effects, laughter gives us a mental clarity in difficult situations and diffuses stressful ones.  It provides a perspective that can encourage creative thinking and enhance problems solving skills.  

Laughter a powerful tool and universal language that can improve communication, relationships, and decision making. Wherever you are in the world, the slightest hint of a smile can connect you to a stranger.  It is recognized by people and cultures across the globe. It is one of the most versatile communication tools. The remarkable thing about positive laughter is it’s contagiousness. Think about how many times you’ve laughed just at the sound of someone’s laughter as our body prepares muscles in our face to laugh.

The secret of happiness is to let your interests be as wide as possible and let your reactions be friendly rather than hostile. Your ability to laugh can be cultivated with practice so start by prioritizing fun. Remember, laughter, like smiling, is never depleted when you share it. So much of our attitude about life and our capacity to meet life’s challenges depends on the quality of the relationships we have, especially our most intimate ones that, when they sour, life tends to feel bleak. Because the quality of our relationships has a powerful effect on physical and mental balance, as well as our sense of satisfaction in life, it’s important that we keep our relationships rewarding and fresh.

So, join a Laughter Yoga Club, visit a comedy club and use positive language, not just verbally but in your internal dialogue as well.  Be aware of the things that make you laugh and build a mental stock of these laughter triggers to be recalled at stressful times.

If you are under stress, stand in front of a mirror and laugh as loud as possible, relax for a while, drink glass of water, and keep a smiling face.  Spend more time with the people who make you laugh and less time with “mood hoovers” who leave you drained.  You don’t stop laughing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop laughing. So for the sake of a healthy and enjoyable life, just laugh: it may be just the medicine you need.