Sherry Lynn Marie

In my lifetime I have seen countless comedians come and go, some I found to be foul and vulgar rather than funny and some were classic comedians that made me laugh until I lost control of bodily functions. Now that’s funny! or if you don’t consider losing bodily functions funny then just stick with a form of laughter you find funny.

Laughter really is the best medicine, do you have a friend, for example, your sad, mad or just in a plain old horrible mood? you go and visit your best friend and he or she has you laughing so hard when you tell them about a situation that was so awful for you and suddenly it becomes laughable? If you have a friend like that then they might be worth keeping around.

Let’s look at the benefits of laughing. Laughing can decrease stress hormones and increase immune cells, therefore, aid in the fight of infection-fighting antibodies, improving your resistance to disease. Laughter releases endorphins this is the bodies natural hormone and feel good chemical. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being, Wow I like this one! even temporarily relieving pain? now that’s phenomenal right there, Yes its true laughing can even improve your health.

I’ll list a few health benefits here.

• Laughing relieves physical tension, therefore, leaving you with a feeling of relaxation for up to 45 minutes or more.
• Laughter protects the heart, improving the function of blood vessels and increases blood the blood flow in your body which can protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular heart problems
• Oh, my goodness if the above isn’t enough for you, laughing can actually burn calories, yes laughing up to 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn up to 40 calories (The body uses lots of muscle while laughing) but that doesn’t mean you should watch a comedy show while eating a whole bag of cookies unless that’s your thing. Laughing doesn’t replace going to the gym either and it doesn’t mean you can go to the gym and laugh at everyone working out, ok that was a bad joke forgive me.
• What a better way to stop an argument and lighten the moment by cracking up and laughing, if of course your finding humor in the situation, if you don’t find humor in a tight spot such as these times, then maybe it might be a good time to start practicing it. It’ can’t hurt right?
• Eases anxiety and tension
• Can even make you more attractive to other people increasing your chance of even making more friends
• Promotes great comradery at work
• Strengthens the bonds of an already existing friendship
• Can improve mood, therefore, increasing your ability to handle situations more easily
• Laughing can be contagious, have you ever seen or heard someone laughing and you then find yourself laughing too? makes you feel good, doesn’t it?

So laughter can make you live longer, possibly diffuse an argument? and to top that off there have been studies done that laughing and having a good sense of humor can lessen the chance of even developing cancer, and burn calories! why not think this may be true? it surely can’t hurt right? So be around people that make you laugh and smile and brighten your mood also.

I’m not saying we should laugh at everything but I’m sure we all know when it might be an appropriate time to make light of a stressful situation.

Good Luck and Keep up the laughter, live a long and healthy life!