The internet is obsessed with health. Everyone has an opinion on what the perfect diet is, what the best exercise regimen is, and what habits you need to take up if you want to be a centenarian. But one extremely underrated factor that you should take into consideration when thinking about our health is making sure that you laugh enough.
According to Verywell Mind, there are plenty of health benefits that can come from humor and laughter. Getting your giggles in is great for your heart, as it lowers your blood pressure. One study even found that people who never or rarely laughed were 1.21 times more likely to have heart disease than people who laugh every day.
Another great benefit of laughing is that it can actually reduce your physical pain as well. Whether you’re suffering from chronic pain or you have a broken bone, keeping yourself laughing can help you forget for a moment how much pain you’re in.
Plus, if you’re someone who struggles to get a great night’s sleep, you might want to try adding some more humor into your day. One study found that engaging in 40-minute laughter therapy sessions twice a week greatly improved participants’ quality of sleep, while simultaneously reducing their feelings of depression.
Laughing can also be great for your health because it boosts your immune system as well. An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but don’t underestimate the power of laughter as the best medicine. In fact, laughing increases your antibody-producing cells and increases the effectiveness of T cells in your body. Basically, this means that you’ll be better prepared to fight off any potential illnesses.
Laughter can bring far more than simply physical benefits, though. Giggling can also be an incredible way to relieve stress. Not only can enjoying laughter help your stress melt away, but it can also help you change your perspective on stressful moments. If you’re reminded not to take life too seriously, you might be able to stop sweating the small stuff and be able to find humor in every single situation.
Unsurprisingly, there are also plenty of social benefits that can come from having a great sense of humor. Laughing with others is a wonderful way to bond, and being funny will make it much easier to make friends. Everyone wants to be around the funniest person in the room. And by bringing positive energy to every conversation, you’ll attract other joyful people as well. Not every setting is appropriate for making jokes in, of course, but most places are.
If you’re looking to bring more laughter into your life but aren’t sure where to start, Everyday Health has some advice. First, they recommend not worrying about trying to be funny. Just start looking for humor everywhere in your life, and you’ll begin to notice it more and more. Meanwhile, to get more giggles into your day, start to curate your comedy collection. Start following funny accounts on social media, watching stand-up specials on Netflix, and reading funny memoirs. This way, you’ll never go a day without laughing.
