Our sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools we have to make certain that our daily mood and emotional state support good health. Laughter and a sense of humor are good for our emotional, physical, and spiritual health.The ability to laugh at our own mistakes is associated with mental flexibility and the ability to shift perspective. This can be an invaluable tool to leading a more satisfying and fulfilling life.
Fortunately for me, in the past 5 or so years, I have found myself participating in this ancient women’s ritual of being together, of belly talk, women talking from the guts, telling the truth, laughing themselves silly, feeling enlivened, going home again, everything better.
The positive relaxation effects can last for up to 45-minutes after a bout of good, hardy laughter. When we laugh, endorphins are released into the blood stream. These natural pain relievers promote a sense of relaxation and wellbeing.
I am guilty of having sat in someone’s kitchen or an outdoor cafe, shrieking and pounding the table until I have practically lost all muscle control. I am proud to admit my friends and I have tried out countless stories on one another and literally laughed like dogs.
Experts say that deep diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the cleansing of the lymph system by creating a vacuum effect which pulls the lymph through the bloodstream. This increases the rate of toxic elimination by as much as 15 times the normal rate.
The act of laughing decreases the secretion of epinephrine and cortisol. It reduces stress, promotes relaxation and improves circulation. Deep belly laughter is positively linked to the lymphatic and immune systems.
When we laugh, our brain releases endorphins, interferon-gamma (IFN), and serotonin. These are nature’s own feel good chemicals and are responsible for helping to keep our mood uplifted. Our mood in turn has a contagion effect on those around us.
When we are happy we attract good vibrations from others. If our mood is upbeat we are empowered to make more positive choices when confronted with life’s challenges.
Laughter allows us to entertain the absurd and imagine alternate possibilities. It stretches our imaginations and helps us to see things from various angles. It allows us to visualize situations in a more realistic and less threatening light.
By creating psychological distance laughter allows us to feel safe when confronted with anxiety provoking life situations like the one we are currently going through. Laughter allows an individual faced with an otherwise overwhelming crisis to relax and see things from a different perspective.
Laughing together with other people fosters emotional connections. It improves co-operation, communication and romance. A 2015 study found that laughter subconsciously increased our willingness to disclose information to others.
Various studies have found a correlation between laughter and positive patient outcomes, reduced hostility in schizophrenic patients, lower levels of psychopathology, and positive provider-patient interactions.
The bottom line is that no matter how you look at it, laughter is good for us.
A laugh seems to reach both far and deep into the psyche, shaking all things loose, playing with our bones, and making a delightful feeling course through our body.
It is said to be sacred because it is so healing. It is exciting and causes waves of pleasure. It is not one-dimensional, laughter is something we share with one-self as well as with many others. It becomes a medicine for the tough times and a strengthener for later.
Laughter lightens, realigns, reorders, reasserts our power and strength, laughter causes health. When laughter makes people glad they are alive, happy to be here, more conscious of love, when it lifts their sadness and severs them from anger, that is sacred.
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