Laughter is a true gift, no other living creature on this earth is so lucky, even the laughing hyena really doesn’t laugh.
What does the research reveal about laughing –
Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline. All of these hormones when they reach chronic levels are destructive and will increase pain of arthritis, anxiety, irritability, speed up ageing and slow down healing and repair. At the same time laughter will increase levels of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. This means generally – you will feel better, have less pain, be in a much better mood, speed up healing and repair, and slow down aging.
Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T-cells. All this means a stronger immune system, this is a really pleasant way of protecting ourselves from the viruses and ‘bugs’ that are around us all the time. A good ‘belly laugh’ exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. This means less aches and pains in the neck and shoulder areas that are so common today. It even provides a good workout for the heart – known as a ‘hearty laugh’.
So we stretch muscles in our face and body, our pulse goes up, we breath more deeply, our heart rate goes up therefore increasing our oxygen supply to every part of our body. It is like a very pleasant mild workout. It appears that laughter burns calories so is a fun way to lose weight. The research reveals that watching comedy blood vessels expanded and contracted normally with ease, however while watching a drama our blood vessels constrict, hindering blood flow. It has a positive affect on our blood sugar levels.
I wonder how and why we lose the ability to laugh so much? A recent study showed that pre-school-aged children laugh up to 400 times a day!!!! That is enviable wouldn’t you love some of that? How many times a day do you laugh now you are a sensible ‘grown-up’? Especially if you are in pain, you are probably thinking there is not much to laugh about. You do need to break this viscous cycle.
Arthritis & Pain Program at The Haven
