When it comes to releasing stress, more giggles and LOL-ing are just what the doctor ordered! Laughter is a great form of stress release and that’s no joke!
According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, data is mounting about the positive things that laughter can do. They say a good laugh has great short-term effects. Laughing doesn’t just lighten our loads, it actually induces physical changes in our bodies. Laughing stimulates many of our organs by enhancing our intake of oxygen-rich air. It stimulates our heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released in our brains, the “feel good” ones. Laughter also activates and relieves our stress response, which increases our heart rate and blood pressure – it gives us a good, relaxed feeling. We all know that laughter soothes tension but it also stimulates circulation and aids in muscle relaxation, which helps reduce some of the physical forms of stress that we hold. With less stress from laughing, some studies have shown that humor may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies in the body and boost the levels of immune cells, as well.
Chuckle often and consistently. It turns out that laughter is not just a quick pick me up. It also proves to be good for you over the long term. Laughter improves your immune system. Positive thoughts actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses. Negative thoughts do the opposite, as they manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. Laughter also relieves pain and makes it easier to cope with difficult situations. It’s a people connector and mood enhancer; it lessens depression, anxiety, and makes you overall happier as the Mayo Clinic states.
According to Psychology Today, pleasure can be so stimulating to your brain that it is primed to respond to pleasure in a way that reinforces pleasure. Your brain actually offers rewards to steer you on a pathway to happiness, and you can offer your brain rewards that will encourage it to become even more finely tuned and to grow well into your old age. Go ahead and laugh and laugh a lot, because happy people are more creative, solve problems faster, and tend to be more mentally alert. Now that is something to smile about!
Perhaps that is precisely why God tells us in the Bible to think on good things, as in Philippians 4:8. In Proverbs 15:13, the Bible says that a joyful heart makes a cheerful face and, my favorite, that a cheerful heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:21). He created us after all, and we are His children – why wouldn’t He tell us what’s best for us to live a long happy life?
Go ahead. Turn up the corners of your mouth up into a smile and then give a laugh. Better, give up a belly laugh, a howl, a chortle or cackle or titter or a tee-hee and a guffaw. Laughter is good medicine. Laugh for your health because it’s no joke!
HALLELUYAH!
