The Healing Power of Laughter
Corinne Casazza
February 18, 2008
What is an easy, fun and free way to improve your health and well-being? Well, laughter, of course.
Laughing does more than just feel good. It prompts real, positive changes in your body. For example, laughing stretches your muscles, raises your pulse and blood pressure slightly, and causes your breathing rate to go up (helping oxygen reach your body´s tissues more efficiently).
"The reason laughter is so healing is that it´s one of nature´s relief valves. It´s a natural way for us to release or let go," says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and Director of Training at Sedona Training Associates.
In fact, some experts have even compared the benefits of laughing to those of exercise!
Laughing is a Real Workout
A study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that laughing impacts how well your blood vessels are able to expand (the better they expand, the lower your chances of heart attack and stroke). After volunteers watched a funny movie, blood flow significantly increased (by 22 percent) in 19 of the 20 volunteers.
The benefits were so significant that the researchers concluded laughing at this comedy improved volunteers´ blood flow at the same rate as a 15- or 30-minute workout!
However, this is only one mode by which laughter helps your body.
According to a study presented at the American Heart Association's 73rd Scientific Session in New Orleans, people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people without heart disease.
Laughter also prompts your body to release the feel-good chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins are your body´s natural painkillers which contribute to a sense of well-being. It´s thought that endorphins are responsible for the positive feelings you get after exercising (a "runner´s high") and orgasm -- and they may actually counteract the negative effects of stress.
A good laugh also increases your body´s level of human growth hormone, which may help to slow the aging process.
Need a Laugh Right Now?
A couple had been married for 25 years and was celebrating the husband's 60th birthday.
A fairy appeared and said that because they had been such a loving couple , she would give them one wish each.
The wife said, "We've been so poor all these years, and I've never gotten to see the world. I wish we could travel all over the world." The fairy waved her wand and POOF! -- she had the tickets in her hand.
Next, it was the husband's turn. He paused for a moment, and said, "I'd like to be married to a woman 30 years younger than me."
The fairy waved her wand and POOF! He was 90.
Interestingly, laughter is so powerful that just thinking about it can increase your body´s levels of endorphins and human growth hormone. According to research by Lee S. Berk of Loma Linda University, beta-endorphins were 27 percent higher -- and human growth hormone 87 percent higher -- among people who were expecting to watch a funny movie.
Get the Benefits of Laughter Without Even Needing to Smile
Ideally, we should all laugh -- often. Yet, experts estimate that while children laugh up to 100 times a day, adults laugh just five or six times a day if they´re lucky.
So while we highly recommend that you add more laughter to your own life, we also know that you can´t go around laughing ALL the time.
But you CAN get the benefits of doing so as often as you like.
"Genuine laughter produces the same effects as using The Sedona Method," Dwoskin says. "You find that you breathe more deeply, your body relaxes, your circulation gets better and your attitude, point of view, state of mind and feeling states all improve dramatically."
The good thing about The Sedona Method is that, unlike laughter, you can use it anywhere, anytime, and get instant relief. You can also use The Method during times you don´t feel like laughing, because it works regardless of whether you´re smiling or crying.
So what are you waiting for? Find out more about The Sedona Method, the simple tool that helps you release negativity and attract more positive energy into your life, and you´ll find that everyday is worth smiling about.
Laughing does more than just feel good. It prompts real, positive changes in your body. For example, laughing stretches your muscles, raises your pulse and blood pressure slightly, and causes your breathing rate to go up (helping oxygen reach your body´s tissues more efficiently).
"The reason laughter is so healing is that it´s one of nature´s relief valves. It´s a natural way for us to release or let go," says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and Director of Training at Sedona Training Associates.
In fact, some experts have even compared the benefits of laughing to those of exercise!
Laughing is a Real Workout
A study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that laughing impacts how well your blood vessels are able to expand (the better they expand, the lower your chances of heart attack and stroke). After volunteers watched a funny movie, blood flow significantly increased (by 22 percent) in 19 of the 20 volunteers.
The benefits were so significant that the researchers concluded laughing at this comedy improved volunteers´ blood flow at the same rate as a 15- or 30-minute workout!
However, this is only one mode by which laughter helps your body.
According to a study presented at the American Heart Association's 73rd Scientific Session in New Orleans, people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people without heart disease.
Laughter also prompts your body to release the feel-good chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins are your body´s natural painkillers which contribute to a sense of well-being. It´s thought that endorphins are responsible for the positive feelings you get after exercising (a "runner´s high") and orgasm -- and they may actually counteract the negative effects of stress.
A good laugh also increases your body´s level of human growth hormone, which may help to slow the aging process.
Need a Laugh Right Now?
A couple had been married for 25 years and was celebrating the husband's 60th birthday.
A fairy appeared and said that because they had been such a loving couple , she would give them one wish each.
The wife said, "We've been so poor all these years, and I've never gotten to see the world. I wish we could travel all over the world." The fairy waved her wand and POOF! -- she had the tickets in her hand.
Next, it was the husband's turn. He paused for a moment, and said, "I'd like to be married to a woman 30 years younger than me."
The fairy waved her wand and POOF! He was 90.
Interestingly, laughter is so powerful that just thinking about it can increase your body´s levels of endorphins and human growth hormone. According to research by Lee S. Berk of Loma Linda University, beta-endorphins were 27 percent higher -- and human growth hormone 87 percent higher -- among people who were expecting to watch a funny movie.
Get the Benefits of Laughter Without Even Needing to Smile
Ideally, we should all laugh -- often. Yet, experts estimate that while children laugh up to 100 times a day, adults laugh just five or six times a day if they´re lucky.
So while we highly recommend that you add more laughter to your own life, we also know that you can´t go around laughing ALL the time.
But you CAN get the benefits of doing so as often as you like.
"Genuine laughter produces the same effects as using The Sedona Method," Dwoskin says. "You find that you breathe more deeply, your body relaxes, your circulation gets better and your attitude, point of view, state of mind and feeling states all improve dramatically."
The good thing about The Sedona Method is that, unlike laughter, you can use it anywhere, anytime, and get instant relief. You can also use The Method during times you don´t feel like laughing, because it works regardless of whether you´re smiling or crying.
So what are you waiting for? Find out more about The Sedona Method, the simple tool that helps you release negativity and attract more positive energy into your life, and you´ll find that everyday is worth smiling about.