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Me being the silly person that laughs at everything, I often wondering if there were actually benefits of laughter that are good for our health because after all, everyone always feels better after a good laugh.

Laughing is by far the most contagious thing over any sickness. If you hear people laughing you usually will begin to laugh with them, or at least find out why they are laughing causing you to soon laugh as well. When people laugh with one another it brings them together and uplifts any mood. It is common sense that if you are feeling down and someone makes you laugh you will most definitely be happier, but what are the deeper gains from this amusement?

Not many people realize the powerful effect laughing has on each individual. It strengthens our immune system, lessens high stress levels (which could be causing our immune system to weaken in the first place) , energizes us when we may be tired,  and distracts us and lessens our pain. After a good laugh it is proven that it can keep your body relaxed for up to about forty five minutes. As laughter works on lowering stress levels, it increases our immune cells and protects our bodies from disease and illness. Our bodies contain endorphins, which are the chemicals that promote wellness and it is extremely crucial that they are released. Laughter releases these endorphins allowing us to feel good and diminish some pain. It can also be beneficial in the cardiovascular region of the body as it assists with blood flow and overall movement around the heart, preventing heart attacks and any other major or minor cardiovascular issues. Another thing laughter aids with is lowering a persons blood pressure.  Whether you are at a high or average blood pressure level, using laughter as your medicine will drastically lower your risk of a stroke. In this article, it describes how laughter is beneficial socially, mentally, and physically, it also goes into depth on all of the health boosts i just wrote about.

This website provides information on the T-cells in our body that help fight off sickness. By laughing on a daily basis you are activating these T-cells allowing them to do their ill prevention job.

Everyday life can become super stressful and almost unmanageable. It’s amazing that something as little as a laugh can be a cure – all without any prescribed medicine. By smiling, you are promoting laughter and relieving stress already. Less muscles are used to smile rather than to frown so it is an easy therapeutic task. If you are ever feeling overwhelmed, studies show that laughing with others works better than laughing alone, so put your self in a situation with a group of people to feel less of a burden. In the article I previously cited, it gives a list of ways to be surrounded by laughter to feel better if you’re feeling down physically or mentally. Some easy ones are being around friends, family, or pets, watching tv, reading books, and making time for activities you enjoy or find humorous.

5 thoughts on “Benefits of laughter

  1. Avery Elizabeth Holland

    I agree with Caroline in that your post would look a lot more appealing with a title and the images in the middle of your writing. However, this topic was extremely interesting to read about and relevant! I cant’ help but crack a smile and wonder what was so funny when I hear someone around me laughing out loud uncontrollably. But why is that? What makes the laughter so contagious? Overall great post! I found an article that explains why laughter might be so contagious and some additional health benefits to laughing. Check it out here.

  2. Imaani Allen

    Laughter is something we as college students don’t get to do very often. Right now everyone is freaking out about midterms, projects and papers. The atmosphere on campus is so serious. Now I will admit that laughing is not something that I get to do very often. Which is why after reading this article I have challenged myself to laugh at least once per day. I feel like we as college students should take a break once in a while to laugh with friends, family or by ourselves while watching funny cat videos on YouTube. I didn’t realize that there were so many health benefits to laughing. Think about it, laughing helps keep our bodies healthy. I think that this is something more people need to do. If you take life too seriously then what is the point of living it.

  3. Darby Helen Smith

    I loved reading this blog post because along with many other people, I find myself laughing multiple times in a day – even if I am alone. I was surprised to see that there are actually multiple scientific reasons that laughter is beneficial for health. However, after reading this I realize that it does make sense thinking about how stress relieving it is to get a good laugh in when you are having an anxiety-ridden day.

  4. Caroline Sorrentino

    This is a good topic! If I were you though, I would replace the picture at the top with a title and put the picture in the middle or the end. At first I thought your post was a continuation of the one someone posted above it. Are there any studies of specific things that make people laugh and why? How does this benefit them specifically? But I remember being in High School and when someone starts giggling in the class it’s very contagious and hard to fight off, so this is very relatable! If anyone is having a bad day, these are the “funniest memes”, you’re welcome.

  5. Luyi Yao

    I’ve learned that psychological state can affect our body conditions. I just thought that people who like laughing are more positive and optimistic, so their good psychological state can make them healthier. I never imagine that laughing has powerful effects and so many advantages. But I’m a little bit confused that does laughing can affect a lot? If you can provide some experiments or researches which prove laughing’s advantages showing in the link you give, that would be perfect!

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