Nearly 2,000 years ago, the physician Galen said that “cheerful” women were less likely to get tumors than those women who were depressed. Laughter also seems to
dilate blood vessels. The opposite happens when a gripping movie stresses you, possibly constricting blood vessels and lessening the flow of blood.
A study at Vanderbilt University found that subjects who laughed 10-15 minutes every day burned an extra 50 calories. Using only laughter they could lose 4.4 pounds in a year.
Think what might happen if they laughed while they walked or ran or worked! Others might even join them “brightening” the workplace with the high octane of laughter.
Laughter is like exercising. It has been called “internal jogging” giving the respiratory system, the abdominal, intercostal, and facial muscles a thorough workout. Something else happens: laughter releases in the brain, those chemicals that reduce pain.
Laughing 200 times = 10 minutes on a rowing machine.
“It has been scientifically proven that your body cannot tell the difference between pretend laughter and spontaneous laughter,” writes Dr. Kataria in his book, Laugh for No Reason, “Pretending to laugh becomes genuine through eye contact and the contagious nature of laughter.”
Laughter’s emotional power influences the electro-magnetic field around a person. This positive aura may also create protection around a group, extending even farther. In ancient India, people believed that one saintly person could affect safety for an entire village.
We are hardwired for laughter. Before our ancestors used speech, scientists say, laughter was used to communicate. People who are born blind and deaf also know how to laugh. Babies laugh almost from birth without jokes or props. Children will find humour in observing adult activities.
Mark Twain understood the need for laughter when he wrote: “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that’s laughter. The moment it arises, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.”
Do you recall a friend saying to you, “Have a good day, take care.” Why not add, “Keep laughing!”
With a joyful heart,
Kathryn
Kathryn