How Laughing Improves Your Mental Well-being

Nat King Cole’s song Smile Though Your Heart Is Aching is a beautiful lyric example of an essential mental-health principal: you should keep smiling through tough times. Lately, we’ve been surrounded by horrible stories on the news – violence and crime don’t seem to come to an end. Stressing about our children’s well-being and safety, while trying to keep ourselves afloat can be challenging and stressful.

Keeping a healthy mind throughout our lives should be one of our main priorities. There are many ways in which we can stay happy and healthy. One of these more uncommon, yet surprising ways, is laughing. Here is a short list of reasons why laughing helps to improve our mental well-being:

It Releases Endorphins

Endorphins are those feel-good chemicals that are released in our bodies whenever we do something physical. Exercising and laughing are both great activators of Endorphins. They’re a known subgroup of the “happy hormones,” that create a feeling of pain relief and give the body a sense of happiness. The more often you laugh, the more Endorphins will be released and the happier you’ll become.

It Relaxes the Body

Scientists have proven that laughing only for 45-minutes a day can relieve physical stress and tension. In effect, laughing relaxes the muscles and creates a feeling of calmness.  If taking a hot bath and listening to classical music doesn’t calm you down, try laughing at a comedy show instead.

Studies have shown that laughing decreases the production of stress hormones, and reduces anxiety, furthering a relaxing bodily experience.

It Brings Friends and Family Closer

The fact of the matter is – no one likes to be near a Sour-Sam or a Negative-Nelly. Smiling is contagious. It creates a comfortable and friendly environment. The saying, ‘with good food and great company come loads of laughter and togetherness’ – is true!

All Families have some emotional baggage that can create alienation. Laughing over silly things that have happened in the past or joking around reduces stress and makes everyone feel more at ease. And as for your pals, nothing is better than having the giggles with your best friend! Whenever there are feelings of resentment or anger between friends or family members, a shared giggle can help you overcome the painful confrontation. Laughing lifts the mood and in effect creates a happy environment for everybody in the area.

Immune System Booster

Doctors have said that laughing is the best medicine, and we couldn’t agree more. Whenever you get the huckles, your body not only releases Endorphins, but it increases the production of immune cells and antibodies.

Being resilient to common illnesses might just be cured by a good old fashioned laughing session.

Weight-Loss

Yes, you’ve read it. Laughter can burns loads of calories. A laughing session of 12-15 minutes can burn up to 40 calories. Of course, laughing is no substitute for exercising and eating healthily, but in the long run, it may help you shed a few pounds.

Fight Against Heart Disease

Laughter increases blood flow which helps to promote and improve the overall function of blood vessels. Nothing really gets the blood flowing like a giggle or two. Healthy blood flow decreases the chance to obtain heart disease and cardiovascular problems. Even though laughter will only play a small role in opening up the blood vessels, it’s important to note that it does make a little effect. The stress-reducing effect surely helps too.

Dealing With Depression

Depression is a crippling mental illness that can cause an imbalance in thoughts and logical thinking. Whenever we have strong feelings of melancholy, there’s no better short-term treatment than laughing.

Sometimes it’s better to put our problems into perspective and try to have a giggle at it. Seeing things out of a comedic point of view will decrease feelings of sadness and depression.

It is proven that laughing helps mental well-being. People who suffer from depression struggle to find their inner-happiness, and this causes the inability to laugh or sometimes even smile. If you want to start laughing again from deep within your belly, you need to make an active attempt to achieve full laughter.

Reading a humorous novel or watching a stand-up comedy show with your favorite comedian is a great way to start.  Jokes that reflect your sense of humor can trigger your funny bone. Finding your inner-laughter and spending time laughing a few minutes a day can help you live a longer and happier life!