Laugh Yourself Healthy

Spending just 1-2 minutes a day laughing is an effective way to
expand your energy and improve your overall health.

We’ve all heard the expression “laughter is the best medicine.” Well, that turns out to be true. Spending 1-2 minutes a day laughing is an effective way to expand your energy and improve your overall health.

Studies show that the act of laughing lowers blood pressure, releases endorphins which are natural pain killers, and increases oxygen levels in the blood stream helping you to breathe with ease. It also relieves tension and anxiety which in turn reduces stress to your immune system.

Laughter is said to help with anti-aging, and considering the cost of the anti-aging skin creams they sell I’ll take a good chuckle any day. They even say that laughter burns calories, comparing it to several minutes of light cardio exercise. Now that’s a workout I can get used too! There’s even a yoga meditation Hasya Yoga, known as laughter yoga, which uses group breathing exercises to increase mindfulness.
Have you ever laughed so hard your stomach ached? Well that’s because the physical act of laughing engages the muscles that hold up the organs in your abdomen.

Sadly, it’s said that children laugh 300-400 times a day while adults only laugh 17 times a day. You don’t have to pay for laughter, it’s free of charge. Within all of us we have the ability to laugh. You have a choice on whether or not you choose to use it. Considering the benefits, I think I’ll tune into Everybody Loves Raymond and get my dose of anti aging.

Research from “The Physiological Benefits of Laughter,” Neurochemistry Department, UC Berkeley