It turns out that one of the most helpful tools in coping with daily life is right inside of you. It’s always been there and it’s just a matter of harnessing its full potential. What is this tool that I am talking about? It is laughter. Over the years, many studies have been conducted to find out the benefits of this highly contagious force. The results all point to one thing: laughter is good for the soul, the mind, and the body. Allow me to share the benefits of laughing more.
Laughter helps your mental and emotional health by giving you a more positive outlook in life. It makes you feel good by allowing you to resolve negative emotions better. Humor makes life seem less threatening and overwhelming.
When you laugh, endorphins—the body's natural feel-good chemicals—are released, which can temporarily relieve pain and reduce stress. This can lead to a stronger sense of well-being and an uplifted mood. In fact, laughter can act like a buffer against the trials and tribulations of daily life, making challenges more manageable and providing a psychological boon that helps you stay happy and healthy.
Humor and laughter are tools you can use to strengthen your relationships with your partner or lover, friends, family, and even co-workers. Laughing with others creates a positive bond that is definitely stronger than a negative bond. In romantic relationships, laughter keeps things fresh, exciting, and blissful. Overall, when you interject laughter and humor into your relationships, you become less guarded, less defensive, more open to possibilities, and more expressive of your feelings.
Sharing a hearty laugh does more than lighten the atmosphere – it's a form of vulnerability that can deepen intimacy. When partners giggle together, they're sharing a moment of unrestrained joy, which can reinforce their connection and signal mutual understanding and acceptance. It's almost as if every chuckle and snicker weaves a stronger thread in the fabric of the relationship. After all, being able to laugh at life's imperfections together suggests a comforting degree of trust and camaraderie, invaluable to forming lasting bonds. So, for a love rich with depth and delight, invite humor in at every chance.
It is not always true that like repels like while opposites attract. More often than not, you attract people who have similar beliefs and personality as you. If you are a happy and positive person, you attract more of those people. And really, who wouldn’t want that? There is no room for negativity in our short lives.
Laughter helps relieve physical stress and tension. Laughing immediately makes you feel happier and in turn takes you away from the edgy and anxious state you are in. It relaxes the muscles and helps you feel more at ease.
When you laugh, endorphins are released. These neurotransmitters are known for improving our immune system. With the absence of the stress hormone cortisol, our bodies are able to produce more immune cells and anti-bodies.
The effects of a good, hearty laugh are similar to the effects of having a good workout. Laughing gives your heart and lungs a good workout, promoting better oxygen flow and blood circulation. Laughter helps lower the cortisol found in our body during stressful times, thus promoting fat burning. It has also been shown in one study that you can lose up to 4 pounds a year if you laugh for 10 – 15 minutes every day.
Laughter promotes happiness, making you a better and more satisfied worker. The good mood you get from laughing increases your creativity, improves your problem solving and decision making skills, and enhances your concentration. Laughter can really help improve your productivity whether for school work, office responsibilities, family care, business management, and even in reaching your goals.
I don’t know anyone who has not enjoyed laughing or making someone laugh. It’s one of the most fun, carefree, and simple things you can do to make life easier and the world brighter. There are still many more studies to be done to fully understand the power of laughter. But because it seems like laughter only brings positive effects, there is no harm in starting to laugh more today.
Top Photo Credit: Chantel Baggley