Why Laughter Really IS Good Medicine

Do you remember the last time you had a really good laugh?  You know the one, uncontrollable, contagious, snorting, spitting, contorting your otherwise attractive features, that kind of laugh?  Fun right?  AND it's good for you too!  According to an Oxford University study 9/14/2011, laughter increases the release of endorphins.  When laughter is shared in group settings, endorphins are 30% greater. (http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2011/111409_1.html./).  Endorphins create a sense of well being socially and emotionally.  So, you probably knew that, but what about physically? Intellectually? Why does it seem that happy people healthier?  Is that fact or fiction?  And if it’s true, how can we get some of that!? 

Laughter…

Makes us healthier:
Endorphins lower cortisol production and raise serotonin, this will boost our immune systems and increase the flow of blood and oxygen.  Countless studies show that humor is a critical component in health therapies with the critically ill. 

Makes us thinner:
10-15 minutes of intense laughter can burn up to 50 calories (or one piece of chocolate), says Maciej Buchowski, a researcher from Vanderbilt University.  (http://women.webmd.com/guide/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter)

Makes us smarter: 

Education studies indicate increased levels of attention and retention when humor is the teaching tool of choice. Besides increased blood flow to the brain, we know that a multi-sensory approach increases retention of information.  Just how this works is best explained by Dr Jenny Brokis “When we laugh, a variety of different areas in our brain light up in activity. In less than half a second our logical left brain analyses the words or situation we are exposed to. Our frontal lobes then look to organize and plan and deal with our emotional response. Then our “big picture” right hemisphere “gets it” and finally our sensory and motor areas become involved, processing the visual cues and providing the outward physical response.”  I highly recommend a visit to her site: http://drjennybrockis.com/what-a-laugh-why-a-dose-of-laughter-is-still-the-best-medicine/.

Where to find the best laughter?  Well that depends on you, for me it is usually in the company of children.Dr Brokis suggests that the average adult laughs 17 times per day, whereas the average child laughs 300 times a day.  Easy math I’d say!

Here are a few favorites to get you started:

Contact CCS for your next Professional Development or Family Education night… as always CCS is Innovative, Informative and Entertaining!

in SC call (864) 723-0995, or NC (704) 999-9923