|
Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Healthy » Reviews » Laughter » User review

Laughter
Laughter

An audible expression or the appearance of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy.

< read all 1 reviews

Maybe Laughter is the Best Medicine

  • Apr 14, 2010
Rating:
+5
We've all heard that 'Laughter is the best medicine'.  Well, there are many proven benefits from laughing, chuckling or giggling.  Laughing can reduce stress, lower your blood pressure as well as boost your immune system.  Seriously.

The human reaction of laughing is not full understood.  Researchers are currently running tests on the effects of laughter.  Scientists are actually starting to put people into functional MRI machines and make them laugh in order to find out. In a recent study at Stanford, researchers showed humorous materials to people while their brains were monitored by an MRI. They were able to prove for the first time that laughter (or at least humor) stimulates the parts of our brain that use the "feel good" chemical messenger dopamine. That puts laughter in the category of activities you want to do over and over again, such as eating chocolate or having sex. Dopamine systems that get out of whack can lead to addiction, says Emory University neurologist Gregory Berns. This finding explains why kids want to keep playing silly games until parents can't stand it anymore. Laughter is pleasurable, perhaps even "addictive," to the brain.


From http://helpguide.org/:

Laughter is good for your health:



  • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh
    relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to
    45 minutes after.
  • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases
    stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting
    antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
  • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s
    natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of
    well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
  • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the
    function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect
    you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

I turn to old episodes of Seinfeld or The Office if I need a good laugh.  When I'm flipping through channels I usually try to find a comedy first.  Did you laugh today?  Find something that makes you laugh.  It's good for you.
Maybe Laughter is the Best Medicine

What did you think of this review?

Helpful
27
Thought-Provoking
27
Fun to Read
27
Well-Organized
27
Post a Comment
August 01, 2011
I heard many of things on separate occasions. Laughter does cure most ills- at least temporarily.
 
December 22, 2010
thx :)
 
December 08, 2010
Just tweeted this. Sounds like we should all be laughing much more:) Love the benefits!
 
September 27, 2010
Excellent review and good facts!! Thank you for the information!
 
June 05, 2010
Excellent reviews. Some excellent info here. Enjoyed reading this very much.
 
April 23, 2010
mwahahahaha!! (getting my meds) Seen "Patch Adams", it Actually explored this belief? Nice review!
April 23, 2010
Good point. I have seen "Patch Adams" and it did show how laughter helps with pain and recovery, especially in children. Thanks.
 
April 14, 2010
Whoa, thanks for sharing, Clay! I knew there were health benefits to laughing and being happy, but I did not know these specifics. I'll remember to get my laugh on more often ;D
April 15, 2010
Yep, laughing in addition to a healthy lifestyle works wonders. You also have to love the fact that laughing is contagious.
 
1
About the reviewer
Clay Miller ()
Ranked #56
Graphic designer/illustrator and owner of Miller Creative Designs, LLC who on Lunch.com likes to shareinsight on Greenand health insight, ideas and other tidbits.Creator/writer of Ways2GoGreen .com& … more
Consider the Source

Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.

You
Clay_Miller
Your ratings:
Almond
Almond
Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti Squash
Fuji Apple
Fuji Apples
healthy living
Healthy Living
rate more to improve this
Recent reviews by Clay_Miller
EcoSox
EcoSox: Eco-Friendly Way to Keep Your Feet Warm and …
a review of EcoSox
Pentel Writing Utensils Recycology Products
Pentel Writing Utensils Recycology Product Line is …
a review of Pentel Recycology Writing Instruments
reuseit™ Biodegradable Garbage Bags
These Eco Garbage Bags are Strong and Dependable
a review of reuseit™ Biodegradable Garbage Bags
see more reviews
About this topic

Wiki

Laughter is an audible expression or the appearance of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy (laughing on the inside). It may ensue (as a phyiological reaction) from jokes, tickling or other stimuli. It is in most cases a very pleasant sensation.

Laughter is found among various animals, as well as in humans. Among the human species, it is a part of human behavior regulated by the brain, helping humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and providing an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others. Laughter is sometimes seemingly contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others as a positive feedback. This may account in part for the popularity of laugh tracks in situation comedy television shows.

view wiki

Tags

Healthy, Feelings, Happy, Mood
see all

Details

Add Details
First to Review

"Maybe Laughter is the Best Medicine"
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.
()
This is you!
Ranked #
Last login
Member since
reviews
comments
ratings
questions
compliments
lists