Laughter provides natural healing and serves as preventive health care. So have a good laugh as often as possible!
By Alison Crane
Studies show that children laugh an average of 400 times a day. Play and laughter go hand in hand and there is no age limit for when we have to stop playing and laughing. Laughter in a home is as golden as sunshine.
Research shows that adults need at least 15 laughs a day. Laughing daily is like taking a dose of Vitamin “L.” Laughter actually provides natural healing and serves as preventive health care. There are over ten health benefits that we gain from laughing, including lowered blood pressure and reduced pain due to the release of endorphins when we laugh. Laughter also activates immune cells that can destroy cancer, disease, and respiratory infections.
Have you ever noticed that laughter can suddenly make you feel better? Humor works quickly to create a happier feeling. Less than half a second after being exposed to something that triggers laughter, electrical waves move through the higher brain functions of the cerebral cortex from the left to right in the brain. This response to something funny can improve your mood and how you feel.
Since laughter is so beneficial, it makes sense to take steps to put more laughter in your life. These tips can increase how many times you find yourself laughing each day:
- Surround yourself with happy people that like to laugh.
- Journal the moments that make you laugh so you can laugh again.
- Find entertainment that makes you laugh – movies, books, pets, grandkids, or even Facebook.
- Limit negative inputs in your life, including TV and the news.
- Make a scrapbook with cartoons, pictures, or quotes that make you laugh.
- Learn to laugh at yourself. It can be helpful in maintaining perspective and can reduce conflict.
- Share your silly moments with your friends and enjoy a laugh together.
- PLAY!
Want to know one of the best things about laughter? It is free! You do not have to pay for an expensive spa membership or travel around the world to find it. The saying, “Laughter is the best medicine” is true. Take a moment to try it out right now.
If you would like to learn more about ways to improve your physical and mental health, contact the Garland County Extension Service at 501-623-6841 or email acrane@uada.edu for more information about available programs and materials.
Alison Crane is a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent with the Garland County Extension Service. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
