41 days to go
It will be world laughter day on Sunday which got me thinking……………….
Darwin referred to laughter as “tickling of the mind” and the comedian, Groucho Marx, said “Laughter is as good as an aspirin only it works much faster”. I would agree and add that there are no side effects so it’s a win-win if we can prescribe it.
We all know we feel better after a good laugh and with good reason as research studies have shown.
Laughter has been found to stimulate the release of internal opioids or endorphins in our brains which produce a positive mood and calm us. They can also help modulate the pain pathways reducing our perception of any pain we might be experiencing and also reduce anxiety and stress and help you sleep better.
These endorphins are also thought to be responsible for the infectious nature of laughter in social groups when one person’s laughter can trigger the whole group to become involved even if the original cause of the laughter is not apparent but thereby spreading the feelgood factor to all.
Another study into laughter therapy found that it also stimulated the release of serotonin in the brain and over a period of just two weeks of five times per week of therapy was found to improve symptoms of depression significantly.
Through these physiological pathways and effects laughter can ultimately help us be happier and relaxed and if we’re happy then we’ll feel better, be more motivated, perform better at whatever we are doing and generally enjoy life more.
Make sure you get your daily dose of laughter 😊
“You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing” Maurice Chevalier
Perfection is an illusion - instead, seek progress and you will achieve