Laughter- A Natural Stress Reliever

We live in stressful times.  One way to relieve stress is laughter.  The Health benefits of laughter are far reaching.  Besides bringing happiness and fun into your life, laughter is a good stress reliever.  According to Elizabeth Scott, M.S. from the About.com guide, the stress management benefits of laughter are:

Reduction of Stress Hormones:

Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.
Laughter is a Physical Release:

Have you ever felt like you “have to laugh or I’ll cry”? Have you experienced the cleansed feeling after a good laugh? Laughter provides a physical and emotional release.
Internal Workout:

A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.

Distraction:

Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.

Click on the Monkey and watch it Laugh and Roll

Perspective:

Studies show that our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a ‘threat’ or a ‘challenge’. Humor can give us a more lighthearted perspective and help us view events as ‘challenges’, thereby making them less threatening and more positive.
Social Benefits of Laughter: Laughter connects us with others. Just as with smiling and kindness, most people find that laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laug

These Crazy Critters Laugh and Roll - Click on the Image to Watch them!

h more, and realize these benefits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more!

No matter whether you laugh after hearing a joke, experiencing a funny situation, or watching a laughing rolling crazy critter stuffed animal, keep it up.  Laughter is good for you.  Laugh out loud!