A great defense against several illnesses and diseases
By Morgan Hannah, Life & Style Editor
What’s something that decreases pain, boosts performance, and creates bonds between groups of people? Laughter! And it’s said to be the “best medicine” anecdotally, but there is some scientific evidence behind this old saying!
Laughter is a tangible presentation of humour and happiness that has a wealth of beneficial qualities beyond simply a physical representation of how someone might be feeling. Happiness expressed most commonly through smiling and laughter is known to increase brain function. Laughter also can boost your immune system and reduce the possibility of heart attacks!
In a study of a small group of healthy individuals, it was found that eliciting laughter serves the arteries nearly as much good as physical exercise. Though it’s not recommended that you skip your trip to the gym in favour of laughing, you should try to laugh as much as possible! Michael Miller, the doctor who conducted the study, goes on to talk about the endothelium—something that plays a critical role in cardiovascular health.
“The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries,” said Dr. Miller in an interview with Psychology Today. His study of the endothelium has allowed a greater understanding of the positive relationship between emotion and cardiovascular health. If you’re looking for another great way to increase emotional connectivity between individuals and aid a healthy body, believe it or not, tickling is the answer! That’s right, science promotes the benefits of tickling, as the higher acoustic complexity of this different type of laughter creates enhanced connectivity among different regions in the brain’s area for processing our joyous cackling. After looking at all of this, it seems that it is in our best interest to make our life experiences as humorous as possible!
