Have you ever laughed so hard you peed your pants?? I have! This was a normal situation for myself and my two sisters. We were spoken to about how to behave and not laugh and pee our pants on family outings into our adulthoods! We have laughed this way in airports, 7-11’s, grocery stores, sporting venues, fine dining restaurants, amusement parks, hospitals, and even funerals!
We all know laughing makes us feel good! For some, a good laugh can help to tone their stomach muscles. But do we really know what all the benefits of laughing are?
Not only can laughter make you happy, it can lessen anxiety depression and stress. It can get your blood flowing, and all the little parts of your brain that you don’t understand moving like a well oiled machine.
Laughter can have short term effects and long term effects, not only for you, but for others also!
Some of the Short Term effects you might experience include:
Revitalize organs. Greater intake of oxygen-rich air. It stimulates your heart, muscles, and lungs; and can increase endorphins released by your brain.
Endorphins are a natural hormone and when they are released they can help alleviate pain, lower stress, enhance your sense of well being, and improve your mood.
Turn on and soothe your stress response. A really good laugh can get your stress response going and then bring it down. It can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, and then decrease them also. This increase and then decrease end with a good relaxed feeling.
Think about the last time you had a good laugh. After you were done, did you lean back tensionless and sigh?
Relieve tension. Circling back to the revitalization of organs, when your heart, muscles and lungs are stimulated, so is your circulation. This circulation can help with muscle relaxation. The circulation and relaxation can then help reduce actual physical symptoms of stress!
Some of the Long-Term effects you might experience include:
Raise your immune system. Our bodies are very complicated with chemical reactions, hormonal reactions, reactions to oxygen, and on and on. Laughter enhances and increases positive thoughts, which in turn helps to release neuropeptides which help battle stress and possibly even more serious illnesses.
Just as positive thoughts cause chemical reactions, negative thoughts do the same. Negative thoughts can create chemical reactions which will bring more stress into your system and possibly decrease your immunity.
Reduce pain. Our bodies create their own painkillers. Laughter can help be the genesis of this.
Improve personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
Increase positivity. Chronic illness is often accompanied by depression. If happiness helps to reduce pain,revitalize organs, soothe stress, raise your immune system, and relieve tension, then all of these effects compiled can help lessen your depression and anxiety. It can also help with self esteem caused by depression and anxiety.
Laughter, that is thought of only as an emotion, we are learning has more physical effects than most think.
Take a moment today and look up a Dad Joke and get to laughing!!
*Mayo Clinic
*Med Park Hospital
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