Do you remember the last time you genuinely laughed? A deep, belly laugh. One so good it made your stomach hurt and tears stream from your eyes.

Our Ambassadors recently enjoyed a stand-up comedy performance by Brian Regan. Brian’s known for turning the most mundane situations into side-splitting stand-up material. His act had our leaders in stitches—the good kind.

Meanwhile, those of us at the home office were enjoying Brian’s most recent comedy album, and we got to thinking – what are the most important benefits of laughing? So we looked into it. Turns out, a good chuckle:

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1. Works your abs

If you missed ab day at the gym, spending time laughing may take away the guilt. When you’re laughing your diaphragm works hard, contracting and expanding your abdominal muscles—similar to performing crunches and planks, but way more fun. A study¹ conducted at Vanderbilt University even concluded that 10-15 minutes of laughter burns up to 50 calories.

2. Lowers your blood pressure

Research shows that laughter lowers your blood pressure and increases blood flow throughout the body—improving cardiovascular health.²

3. Loves your heart

Especially for folks unable to participate in physical activity due to injury or illness, laughing stimulates the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. By boosting your heart rate, laughing increases blood flow—helping to protect against heart attack and other cardiovascular complications.

4. Keeps you healthy

You’ve heard the saying “Laughter is the best medicine.” A good giggle immediately activates the production of T-cells—specialized cells in your immune system that help fight off sickness—and other infection-fighting antibodies. Feel a cold coming on? A feel-good comedy might be just what the doctor ordered.

5. Feels good all over

Laughing triggers the good stuff. When you guffaw, chortle, or snicker your brain releases endorphins and serotonin, the chemicals in your brain that create the warm and fuzzy feelings. In addition, laughter can shift your perspective—it’s hard to feel anxious, angry, or sad while laughing.

6. Relieves pain

Endorphins are also a natural painkiller, known for temporarily easing chronic and acute pain. In one study³, scientists tested participants’ tolerance to painful stimuli before and after watching episodes of TV comedies or clips of comedians. The participants who laughed more, felt less pain when exposed to the stimulus after.

7. Reduces stress

A hearty laugh releases the tension in your muscles, leaving them relaxed for up to 45 minutes. As your muscles relax, so does your entire body—reducing the physical symptoms of stress.

8. Strengthens relationships

The couple—or siblings, or team members, or friends—who laugh together, stay together. Laughing is social. As a matter of fact, we’re 30 times more likely to laugh when we're with other people than when we're alone. Humor and laughing in relationships solidifies and improves the quality of relationships.

The results are clear: Live, Love, and Laugh (a lot).

 

References

¹ http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu:8080/reporter/index.html?ID=4030

² http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/Humor-helps-your-heart-How_UCM_447039_Article.jsp#.WAjaityBKat

³ http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/14/its-no-joke-why-laughter-kills-physical-pain/