In this day and age, where stress is increasingly becoming a part of our day to day lives looking for a solution in the form of stress busters has become an emergent need of the hour.
There are many beautiful feelings that a human being can go through which can act as immediate stress busters for the body and mind as they release the much-needed chemicals which will easily counteract the stressful reactions generated by the human system.
It has been now, even more, a scientifically proven fact that laughter acts as the best medicine to one’s health as it is one of the best feelings in the world.
Everything right from a slight giggle to a guffaw can make one go into splits which can change the vibes in a room from ice-cold tranquillity to a boisterous party-like atmosphere along with changing one’s mental moods and thereby affecting their health in a positive way.
Doctors have researched and confirmed the amazing benefits of laughter and found the results to be outstanding. So here are some great reasons that tell us why laughter can never fail to be the best medicine.
Laughter – Is It The Body’s Best Medicine?
There is nothing like it than laughter when it comes to being a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict that an average human being goes through in his/her life.
It is also for a fact that nothing works instantly or is more reliable than a good laugh which can restore balance in one’s body and mind after a stressful day.
Even the slightest of humour can help one to unburden themselves alongside renewing their hopes, having better interpersonal relations and excellent connectivity with others, along with even helping a person to release their anger and become more forgiving.
Laughing frequently and effortlessly gives a person the amazing power to heal and renew, with the ability to surmount their problems and enrich their relationships thus fostering both physical and emotional health.
This priceless medicine is not only jolly good for the body but also an easy pill to consume and infects both thyself and others with an amazing zest for life.
Laughter is good for one’s health as for the following conclusions drawn by the health experts over many years:
Laughter Is Always A Feel-Good Factor: If one has to find a way to unwind and enjoy themselves then laughter provides everyone with the opportunity to do that and the best thing about it is it doesn’t take much time and effort.
It is also the best medication for depression as many anti-depressants in the market were known to come with their own list of side effects causing the condition of depression to get even worse.
Laughter Loosens The Entire Body: A hearty laugh relieves one from pent-up physical tension and stress that leaves their muscles relaxed for at least an hour.
Laughter Heightens The Intake Of Oxygen: Human life cannot breathe without oxygen as there are many other obvious reasons besides being vital to life. For example, enhanced oxygen intake will help one to ward off certain illnesses and diseases like cancer and escaping the side effects of some illnesses through laughter therapy.
Laughter Improves The Immune System: Laughter reduces stress hormones and shoots up immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving our disease resistance power.
Laughter Triggers A Chemical Release: Endorphins are the body’s natural feel-good chemicals which can be easily triggered with a cheerful laughter promoting an overall sense of well-being and in certain times temporary pain relief.
Laughter Preserves The Heart: One can save themselves from a heart attack or any other cardiovascular problems with laughter as it helps improve the blood flow.
Laughter Burns Calories: Laughter, though in a lighter way, has its share of contribution to weight loss as laughing for at least 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn around 40 calories which could mean losing three to four pounds over the course of a year.
Laughter Reduces The Heavyweight Load Of Anger: One can easily diffuse anger and combat it fast with a simple laugh.
If one takes everything in a lighthearted way that allows them to take problems in their stride then that will enable them to move on from confrontations sans holding onto hard feelings or ill will.
Laughter Refreshes The Right Brain: Even a chuckle, chortle, or a giggle is believed to be enough in stimulation of the right side of our minds as it is believed to be the side that’s responsible for creativity and decision-making capacity.
Laughter May Even Prolong Lifespan: A Norway based study says that those who have a strong sense of humour will outlive those who don’t laugh as much as this difference in lifespans was particularly evident in the case of patients who have fought with cancer.
Anyone can experience all of the above benefits plus many more if they can make sure to take the time to laugh and enjoy attracting the good life that they truly desire.
Simple life hacks that can bring more laughter into one’s life
When in life, there are times when emotions run high and it is at that point laughter helps as a powerful tool in managing conflict and lessens tension with one’s partners, co-workers, or even friends and family.
One can lower their stress levels while using humour to smooth over disagreements and also helps in restoring broken relations than further causing a rift.
However, there are some mechanisms or ways or manners which help anyone to bring more and more laughter into their lives as one realises that laughter is their natural birthright and that which is innate and inherent in a natural way in a human being.
Here Are A Few Ways To Begin With:
Smile
A smile is always a beautiful way, to begin with as a precursor to laughter and miles of smiles along the way. Smiling is contagious, so it’s better to start practising and spread smiling to others instead of jamming oneself with phones and computers.
One can look up and smile at people as they pass on in the street or simply smile at their loved ones during morning coffees or co-workers in an elevator and any other occasion in a day that hardly needs an occasion. One can observe the effect smile has on to others once they make a habit of smiling every day.
Join Laughter And More Laughter Will Come Your Way
Though laughter and humour are private, more often than not people are willing to share even a private joke or something funny that gives them a chance to laugh again and feed them off to others, especially these days with the rising social media platforms that cater to a lot of humour and laughter.
Taking Time Off With Jolly Good People
Everywhere, one can witness somebody in a group or around the corner who can laugh easily at themselves, with others or even at life’s absurdities.
These are those happy and easy going people who will find humour even with monotonous events in life and make that moment special for themselves and others.
Their playful side and humour are contagious and even an otherwise critical and serious-minded person can light up and lighten by being in their presence who laughs and loves to make others laugh.
Prefer Having Playful Over Serious Talk
Simulate your talks with others to stimulate laughter by asking non-serious questions like gossiping about others and knowing about the funny things that happened in their life and similarly sharing your funny experiences with them, all for the sake of spreading a few laughs.
Go For Simulated Laughter Sessions
One need not worry if they cannot witness anything funny happening around. Without going through any sort of funny event, it is still possible to laugh as a simulated laughter can be possible by joining laughter clubs or therapies or even practise laugh yoga.
A simulated laughter many times also leads to a spontaneous laughter as more and more people come and laugh their heart out in these special ‘laughter gatherings’.
Here Are Some More Life Hacks One Can Create To Laugh At Anything And Everything –
- Join a laughter show or catch something funny over the TV, video site, or roll on the bed laughing over a comedy movie with family or friends.
- Seek out funny people with similar playful interests.
- Read the funny pages in a magazine/comic book or share a good joke and a funny story.
- Share a good joke or funny incidents with people you know.
- Play fun games on the lines of dumb charades or musical chairs with friends.
- Enjoy the time and fool around with children or play with your pet.
- Have a child-like innocence that can even harbour in itself a lot of humour.
- Do silly and fun loving activities with friends and peers like karaoke, bowling, etc.
- All said, never lose a single day without laughter in your life as it is the only best medicine to deal with the monotony of one’s life.
Is Laughter The Alternate Answer For Your Cardio Workout?
With several benefits that laughter and humour promote, it can also be seen that certain kind of laughter like a belly laugh can actually improve cardiovascular health and if one really laughs hard it will be in itself a workout.
This workout or belly laugh, as recent research suggests may actually be a tangible form of exercise without the need to hit the gym real hard.
As per the recent studies at the Oxford University, laughter is known to increase one’s cardio capacity. Laughter is now the alternate answer for cardio sessions as it is the best workout for the respiratory system and to a larger extent for the cardio system as well.
The studies further consolidate that laughter actually lowers one’s blood pressure alongside easing the natural flow of blood through one’s system that enhances their cardiovascular strength. Going by their statistics, laughing 100 times in a day equals 15 mins of cardiovascular exercise.
Of course, low stress and a tensionless session at the gym are added benefits to low blood pressure that can be maintained easily with routine laughter sessions.
How Good Is Laughter For Your Mental Health?
It is a well-known fact that laughter helps one to feel good and not only that, the good feeling remains even after the laughter subsides. Such is the power of humour in helping one to maintain a positive, optimistic outlook even through cumbersome situations like loss and disappointments.
Not only as a respite from pain and grief, but laughter also gives one the courage or strength to face life and lend it a new meaning of hope and happiness. The though and feel or sound of laughter is enough to prime the brain and gets one ready to smile and join the fun.
The Connection Between Laughter And Mental Health
Why laughter has been considered as a good antidote to one’s mental health, besides physical health is reasoned out by many a researcher. These reasons solidify the mind-laughter link and its worth having a lowdown on some of them:
Laughter Puts In Check Traumatic Emotions: One cannot feel anxious or angry or sad when they laugh their heart out. Laughter instantly releases all the tension piled up in one’s body.
Laughter Induces Relaxation: It is indisputably a stress buster as it causes one’s stress to reduce along with increasing energy enabling them to stay focused, sharp and achieve more. This sudden inflow of energy causes one to relax and recharge easily.
Laughter Alters Perspectives: Laughing brings one closer to reality more as it incorporates a lighter vein approach in oneself thus creating the needed psychological distance from feeling overwhelmed and in conflict with the existing reality.
To conclude, laughter is a good thing and a saviour from the monotony and stress caused in one’s life. Laughter is forever one of the best medicines for promoting one’s overall well being on all levels – physical, mental, emotional, social, and professional areas.
