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Subject: benefits of laughter
I read that a child laughs 400 times a day on the average, while
an adult laughs only 15 times each day. Which is puzzling since
laughter feels so good and is so good for us!
You may know the benefits of laughter on the mind and spirit, but
are you aware of how much a good laugh can help you physically?
Norman Cousins used to say that laughter is so beneficial
physically that it is like "inner jogging."
Mayo Clinic (Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March 1993) reports that
laughter aids breathing by disrupting your normal respiration
pattern and increasing your breathing rate. It can even help clear
mucus from your lungs.
Laughter is good for your heart. It increases circulation and
improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues
throughout your body.
A good laugh helps your immune system fight off colds, flu and
sinus problems by increasing the concentration of immunoglobulin A
in your saliva. And it may help control pain by raising the levels
of certain brain chemicals (endorphins).
It is also a natural stress reliever. Have you ever laughed so
hard that you doubled over, fell off your chair, spit out your
food or wet your pants? You cannot maintain muscle tension when
you are laughing!
The good news is that you are allowed more than 15 laughs a day!
Go ahead and double the dose and make it 30 times today. (You may
begin to notice your relationships improving!) Then double it
again! You are bound to feel better, you will cope with problems
more effectively and people will enjoy being around you.
Laughter: it's good medicine, it's completely organic, it can be
shared, it is recyclable and it's absolutely free!
In Reply to: Laughter posted by Nita on September 15, 2003 at 15:20:33:
I agree that laughter is good but don't think you can force
it. If things Aren't funny it is No time to laugh. I have
a friend who went to a laugh therapy clinic and don't see
any improvement since they had to go on O2 and are in a
wheelchair now. The 90 mi they had to drive to get to it
didn't sound worth it since riding in a car stressed them
in every way. Now it may have made them feel better when
there but I would have found a better way to feel better or
to avoid stressors. I find myself doing everything to avoid
depressing situations or irritable people but when I can't
I think of how rediculous they are.
When adult there are many things that one needs to be
serious about and avoiding them isn't a good idea. I listen
to some shows that try to be funny for other reasons and
don't find it funny when they distort facts about politics
or other serious matters and laughing when one should be
serious seems foolish to me. As I get older it takes a lot
to make me laugh since I don't find much rediclous or sick
humor very funny while younger people may. When I do laugh
I figure it must have been pretty funny and really enjoy it.
In Reply to: Laughter posted by Nita on September 15, 2003 at 15:20:33:
Thanks, Nita, for a good reminder to laugh. My children laugh
constantly (sometimes over nothing at all) and they also make me
laugh when they're not even trying to! They're wonderful and
remind me how it feels to not have a care in the world - beyond
where their favorite toy is. Laughing definitely can help distract us
from the burdens of life. Thanks again!
In Reply to: Laughter posted by Nita on September 15, 2003 at 15:20:33:
Thanks, Nita, for the reminder!
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Laughter posted by Vince F on September 15, 2003 at 16:52:46:
Well, I love to laugh and sometimes politics are better to laugh at than to cry over. I don't like to see people frowning all the time and look how they're wrinkling their face. It's also what I look for in people I want to be around. I told the local mortician to please put a smile on my face for the last time and he said that he would have to break my jaw. I said that would be ok if he was sure I was really dead. I'd like to go out with a smile.
In Reply to: Re: Laughter posted by Nita on September 16, 2003 at 13:31:22:
I agree with you Nita, we all need to laugh more. I laugh all the time and I find that people like to be around me because my laugh in it's self is infectious. Laughter is great if you suffer from TMJ.
In Reply to: Re: Laughter posted by Nita on September 16, 2003 at 13:31:22:
I'm not saying Not to laugh or avoid it since it is better
to be around people or things that Make you laugh but I
can't see trying to force it. I was in a situation tonite
where people were making fun of someone else and laughing
at them. I don't think that laughing was beneficial for
anyone. It made me tense since I know that the guy being laughed at
sometimes carries a gun. He has a license to carry but
wasn't wearing it but it may have been in the bag he had.
I had a friend who was wacky and always made people laugh.
It would get exhausting so couldn't take him for long. I
don't like eating, taking, or doing something to Try to
be better and go by what I want, need, or works. I might
need to be serious about something to deal with it so
wouldn't want to force laughing about it. If it comes
naturally because the situation is That rediculous, that is
fine.
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