Everyday you’re faced with challenges and it’s completely up to you how to confront them. You can choose a positive attitude or a negative one. Laughing when faced with a challenge can help lift your mood (as well as those around you) and maybe you’ll be able to view the challenge in a better light. This will help you reduce stress and get tasks done quicker.
Laughter is also generally followed by a sense of relaxation, hence it’s a good form of stress relief. It can also be used as a way to reconnect with your family, especially during troubling times. When you laugh you generally talk more, make direct eye contact, and even get into closer physical contact.
When you laugh, your body releases endorphins into the blood system. Endorphins act like natural pain killers and are also responsible for making you feel happy. The best part is endorphins are completely free of any side effects – it’s all natural! That’s why you feel a “natural high” after the right dose of laughter.
Laughing not only leads to a feeling of wellbeing, but it can also do the following:
Lower blood pressure
This cycle starts with the blood pressure rising when you start to laugh, but then it decreases to levels below normal. When you take deep breaths while laughing, more oxygen-rich blood is transported quickly throughout your body.
Reduce stress and increase your attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse
When your heart rate and pulse are elevated, you’ll feel more energized. Of course, being more attentive can lead to better learning and growth.
Make your heart grow stronger
For a long time now, heart specialists have established that mental stress is particularly harmful to the heart and is one of the leading causes behind the build up of fat and cholesterol in the coronary arteries. By laughing and reducing that stress on a regular basis, you’re helping your body reduce that fat buildup while reducing your risk of a heart attack.
Lower blood sugar
Laughter helps with reducing stress and stress often leads to an increase in blood sugar levels.
Laughter has many physical benefits to your overall health and wellbeing, but you still need to exercise, eat well, and go for your routine checkups.