Laughter has been proven through a number of studies to be extremely beneficial for your health and stress relief! David DiSalvo’s article on Forbes shares the six best health benefits:
1. Laughing causes a sense of euphoria, a similar (but much healthier) feeling to that which is released after narcotic drug consumption. This sense of euphoria is caused by opioid receptors in our brains binding and releasing endorphins – our own natural form of a “feel-good” drug.
2. It creates social bonds between communicating parties. Endorphins released from laughter form a sense of togetherness and safety, which easily becomes infectious. Our laughs trigger endorphin release in other brains as well! That’s why when one person starts to laugh, others do too, even if they don’t really understand why they are laughing.
3. Laughter also is a great workout for our brains, believe it or not! There are many different kinds of laughter, each activating different areas of the brain. So, when we hear a laugh we have to use some serious brain power to decode the social meaning of the laugh and what it means for our relationship with the other person.
4. Humor and the ability to laugh are some of the most highly rated and sought after attributes within romantic relationships. Couples who are able to laugh together report higher-quality relationships than those who don’t.
5. Laughing also releases serotonin, a common brain chemical regulated by most anti-depressants. It still remains unclear how long these effects last, but it will certainly give you a mood boost, even if just for a short amount of time.
Lastly,
6. Laughter can also protect your heart and keep it healthy! It is unclear as to why this happens, but laughter has been proven to posses anti-inflammatory qualities that act against cardiovascular disease.
So, bottom line is: laugh whenever you can! Not only will you feel less stress, but you will benefit from a number of different health and social factors.
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