24) HOW LAUGHING IS HEALTHY

My Art Corner: Laughing Zebras

Did you know that animals are known to laugh, grin and show happiness, too? My dogs are always happy to see me when I bring them food.  They jump and lick and wag their tails joyfully.  Sometimes, they grin from ear to ear or put a front paw on my hand to show affection.  They follow me wherever I go and always sniffing around. They make me laugh with their funny antics and cute faces.

A human laugh can be described as a giggle, a cackle, a chortle, a chuckle, a snort or a loud shriek.  When a joke, a picture or a movie scene tickles our sense of humour, we tend to have non-stop giggling, cackling, chortling, chuckling or snorting.  When a laugh is continuous, we find our eyes tearing up. Sometimes it can be a combination of two or more forms of laughs. For example, when we receive a surprising good news, we will shriek with joy then, it can be followed by a giggle and as we come to realisation what the news means to us, the excitement builds to a point we will burst out cackling followed with jumping up and down and hand clapping. I am sure you know that feeling.

Similar reactions can be seen in humans watching a competitive sport such as football, basketball or baseball.  When their team scores a point, they will shout, laugh and clap their hands or punch their fist in the air.  However, if their team loses a point, they will swear, groan, rub their heads, punch their fist, pull their hair or cover their faces in dismay. 

Laughter is the best medicine

Do you agree with the above statement?  Laughing is not just raising our spirits for a few minutes. There is more than meets the eye.

Did you know that while children laugh up to 400 times a day, adults do it only 17 times a day on average? It is important to laugh often because laughter can improve your health in many ways.  Check out the 10 benefits of having a good laugh.

1. Laughter is good for your immune system

Research has found that laughing can boost the immune system by increasing the number of antibody-producing T cells. We are less likely to get coughs and colds. Hormone levels that are associated with stress are also lowered. After a good giggle, don't you agree that we are less tense and anxious?

2. Laughing reliefs pain

Chuckling has been found to reduce pain.  It not only distract you from aches, but it actually releases feelgood endorphins into your system that are more powerful than the same amount of morphine.

3, Laughing improves your social life

Be the orange among the apples

Do you notice that people usually crowd around a person who is funny? Having the ability to make people laugh will make you more friends.  You would also achieve more at work, be more productive, a strong communicator and team player. Work for you is fun.

In fact, most things we laugh at are not necessarily actual jokes, but comments in everyday conversation. Laughter and humour 
goes hand-in-hand in any social relationships.

4. Laughter helps relieve depression

Feeling anxious or irritated constantly can lead to depression. 
What better way to release tension and stress by just laughing.

5. Laughter can boosts your love relationship

Looking for a new partner in your life?  Well, laughter will help you find a mate.  Did you know that men love women who laugh in their presence and women actually laugh 125% more than men?
If you are already have someone you care for, it is important to have a shared sense of humour to keep your relationship running smoothly.

6. Laughter is a mini workout

Do you find your sides aching after laughing long and hard?  It is not surprising because a good solid laughing session exercises the diaphragm, contracts your abdominal muscles and also moves your shoulders.  That is why you will feel a lot more relaxed.

Interesting fact: Laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the  rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike.  So, instead of training shoes, take out the DVDs and load up the player for a daily dose of laughter therapy.

Laughter protects your heart

This was a study done by heart specialists at the University of Maryland, people suffering from heart diseases were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease. 

Laughter has been found to benefit the way blood flows around the body, reducing the risk of heart diseases. Research showed that just by laughing 15 minutes a day is important to your heart as 30 minutes of   exercise 3 times a week. Isn't this a very good reason to laugh more?

8. Laughter lowers your blood pressure

People who laugh a lot on a regular basis have lower blood pressure than the average person.  When you have a good laugh, the blood pressure actually increases at first, but then it decreases to levels below normal.

By laughing hard, our breathing deepens and this helps to send oxygen-rich blood and nutrients throughout our body.

9. Laughter improves breathing

When we laugh, more air is emptied from our lungs than it takes in.  This result in a cleansing effect, similar to deep breathing.  Therefore laughing is especially helpful for people who suffer from respiratory ailments, such as asthma.

10. Laughter helps you lose weight  

A hearty chuckle raises the heart rate and therefore speeds up the  body metabolism which will burn off calories. Watching a funny sitcom can easily keep you laughing for 20 minutes or more.

So go ahead, and laugh your hearts out! 

My friend emailed me the following which I find very funny and I hope you will, too.

Funny Lawyers

All about the Lawyers. Enjoy...

IT CAN BE HARD KEEPING A STRAIGHT FACE AS A COURT REPORTER. These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.

ATTORNEY:  What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS:     He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY:  And why did that upset you?
WITNESS:     My name is Susan!
______________________________​_
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS:    Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________​______________
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS:    No, I just lie there.
______________________________​______________
ATTORNEY:  What is your date of birth?
WITNESS:     July 18th.
ATTORNEY:  What year?
WITNESS:     Every year.
______________________________​_______
ATTORNEY:  How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS:     Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY:  How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS:     Forty-five years.
______________________________​___
ATTORNEY:   This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS:      Yes.
ATTORNEY:   And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS:      I forget...
ATTORNEY:   You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
______________________________​_____________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS:    Did you actually pass the bar exam?
______________________________​______
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS:    He's 20, much like your IQ.
______________________________​_____________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS:     Are you shitting me?
______________________________​___________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS:    Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS:    Getting laid
______________________________​______________
ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
WITNESS:    Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS:    None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS:    Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________​______________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS:    By death..
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS:    Take a guess.
______________________________​_____________
ATTORNEY:  Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS:     He was about medium height and had a beard
ATTORNEY:  Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS:     Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
______________________________​_______
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS:    No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________​________
ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS:    All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
______________________________​___________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS:    Oral...
______________________________​___________
ATTORNEY:   Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS:      The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
ATTORNEY:   And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS:      If not, he was by the time I finished.
______________________________​______________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS:    Are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________​________
And last:
ATTORNEY:   Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS:      No.
ATTORNEY:   Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS:      No.
ATTORNEY:   Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS:      No..
ATTORNEY:   So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS:      No.
ATTORNEY:   How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS:      Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY:   I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS:      Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

My next topic of discussion is, "Is It Healthy To Vent?".

Thanks for looking and taking the time to read my blog.  I welcome feedback and please feel free to share your experiences in relation to today's topic.

Until my next post, "Here's to your health!"

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