What’s the one prescription I am always happy to dispense?
Take two belly laughs and call me in the morning.
Safer than any big pharma pill-of-the-moment and free of harmful side effects, laughter is one of the easiest things you can do to promote healing and well-being. In fact, in my 20 years of medical experience, I’ve found that patients who have a sense of humor and laugh a lot tend to heal better and faster than those who don’t. Therefore I say, if health and wellness is your goal, skip irony, bypass sarcasm, and make the conscious choice to add more joyous laughter into to your day.
Here are ten simple health-enhancing reasons to have a daily laugh—and in my next post, I’ll show you seven simple ways to get more of them:
1. Laughter helps boost your immune system . . .
by increasing T cell activity, those “killer cells” that help our bodies fight viruses and tumors.
2. Laughter helps lower blood pressure . . .
and cortisol levels, decreases pain, and can also help stabilize blood sugar.
3. Laugher stimulates chemical changes in the brain . . .
that help buffer our bodies against the cumulative effects of stress.
4. Laughter burns a few extra calories . . .
according to a recent university study, just ten to fifteen minutes worth of chuckles throughout the day can burn up to forty calories.
5. Laughter stimulates the release of endorphins . . .
the mood-elevating brain chemicals behind the “runner’s high.”
6. Laughter helps reduce inflammation throughout the body . . .
good news for your heart, brain, and circulatory health.
7. Laughter “massages” internal organs . . .
which is why it’s sometimes referred to as “internal jogging”—with effects similar to exercise.
8. Laughter provides a light workout . . .
for the heart, lungs, diaphragm, and even the abdominal muscles.
9. Laughter releases tension in the muscles . . .
of the face, neck, shoulders, and abdomen—all common areas where we tend to hold lots of tension.
10. Laughter is physically and mentally therapeutic . . .
an involuntary response, that positively alters mood instantly. What could be better?
And in the words of nineteenth-century humorist, Mark Twain, “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.” A wise man indeed!
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