"You’ve probably heard that laughter is the best medicine. It may sound like an old wives’ tale. But now scientists have proof, so you may want to take the prescription.
Laughter really is good for the heart. When you laugh, your blood vessels expand, allowing blood to flow more easily. On the other hand, stress causes blood vessels to constrict, making it harder for blood to flow, therefore forcing your heart to work harder."
Two groups of 20 volunteers was formed, consisting of participants who were healthy non-smokers, all about 33 years of age. The study included controls of other factors that might affect blood flow, such as temperature, sleep, and body position. All of the volunteers were required to fast overnight. Before the test began, the two groups showed no difference in blood dilation.
Then came the study. One group was first shown segments of a stressful film. The other group was shown a film that would evoke laughter. Forty-eight hours later, the volunteers were each shown the opposite film. Ultrasound tests showed that, on the average, when the volunteers viewed the stressful film, they experienced decreased blood flow of about 35 percent. This was an indication that feelings of stress cause blood vessels to constrict, which makes the heart work harder to pump blood through the body.
On the other hand, when the volunteers watched the funny film clip, they experienced increased blood flow of about 22 percent, showing that their blood vessels had relaxed.
The study concluded that laughter offsets
the harsh effect mental stress has on your vascular system. The change in blood flow was similar to that experienced when you engage in aerobic exercise. Fifteen minutes of laugher a day and thirty minutes of exercise three times a week are a good workout for your heart.
From www.preferredconsumer.com
Facts about laughter
- A good hard laugh requires deeper breathing. And deeper breathing exercises your lungs.
- Laughter is not only better for the body than stress, but laughter fights stress. It won’t surprise you to hear that it’s hard to feel stressed out and angry whenyou are genuinely laughing. But you may not know that by laughing, you reduce the level of a stress-producing hormone in your body, known as cortisol.
- Laughter is a natural energizer. If you feel tired, indulge in a good laugh. Watch a funny movie or program, remind yourself of your favorite joke, or recall a funny incident. Since laughing increases energy, you’ll soon feel more pumped up than if you drank an expresso.
- Learning to laugh at yourself is a great way to lower your blood pressure. When you make embarrassing mistakes, your blood pressure rises. But for those who can laugh at their own mistakes experience only the smallest increases in blood pressure. On the other hand, the people who suffered the biggest bursts of blood pressure were those who use humor as a method of attack of other people and things.
- Finally, laughter makes you better equipped to fight disease. Here’s how: your body produces a substance called salivary immuno-globin A (S-IgA) which fights bacteria and virus. Laughter increases your body’s ability to both produce and release S-IgA. Studies show that people who cope with stress by using humor have higher levels of this disease-fighting substance.
To conclude Laughter is good for your bodies health and for your mind. However I am related laughter to comedy I wonder if theres any other source that people find laughter in?
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