Can laughing improve your health?

Lindsay POUI-DI

01 Apr 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:15

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Aids in digestion
When we laugh the diaphragm contracts – the large muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the belly. The vibrations are transmitted to the neighbouring organs. The liver, the gall-bladder and the spleen are smoothly massaged as a result. By extension, the stomach is also revitalised by secreting more gastric juices. And intestines, fuelled by the abdominal contractions, are also revived. As a result, digestion is greatly facilitated.
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Reduces risk of heart attacks
Not only does laughing strengthen the cardiac muscle, but it also rebalances our nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system, which slows down the heart and dilates vessels, is more active; while the sympathetic system is regulated. After a laughing fit, blood pressure decreases, thus reducing the risk of heart attacks. Cardiologists at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Maryland noticed that cheerful people had three times fewer heart attacks than inveterate grouches.
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Strengthens your immune system
With a surplus of cortisol, the cells of the immune system work in slow motion. As giggling reduces the cortisol level, our immunity becomes strengthened. Besides, our rate of antibody is increased as the jokes fly. “Indubitably laughing is one of the reasons why followers of laughter therapy are less subject to viral and bacterial infections”, suggests Corinne Cosseron, founder of the International Laughter School in France.
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A natural painkiller
From muscle spasms to lumbago and degenerative osteoarthritis, huge guffaws soothe these pains as endorphins spread throughout the body providing a powerful analgesic. Their effects are even comparable to those of morphine. In 2011, researchers from the University of Oxford led an experiment that was half-sadistic, half-sympathetic. They measured the endorphin rate of each volunteer before, during and after the projection of funny videos, as well as how long they could tolerate pain in the forearm (application of intense cold at 16°C). As a result, the more hilarious scenes they viewed, the more endorphins were released into the blood, and the greater their tolerance for pain. According to his testimony, through positivity, the famous American journalist Norman Cousins stoically bore the sufferings of his ankylosing spondylitis (inflammatory disease of the joints and the spine). According to him, 10 minutes of giggling alleviated the pains for almost two hours!

It is difficult to believe, but laughing favours better digestion of food and improves your immune system, among other benefits.

Whenever we watch a funny movie or hear hilarious jokes, it’s instinctive to burst out laughing. It’s a natural reaction and one that should also be greatly valued because if anything laughing improves your general well being. They do say that a bout of laughter a day keeps the doctor away.

In terms of health, laughing aids in promoting better digestion, reduces the risks of heart attacks, serves as a natural painkiller and strengthens your immune system, among other benefits. For more explanation on how laughter helps, head over to the gallery above.

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