10 Reasons to Always Laugh

When the most skeptical meet Madan Kataria and learn that he is the founder of Laughter Yoga, alarm bells go off. And almost everything points to it being another of those pseudosciences propagated by people who like to deceive unwary people who believe in any nonsense. But Madan is a respected doctor, whose motto is that “laughter is the best medicine” in the pursuit of fulfillment and better health.

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“Laughter is the healthiest thing a person can have, it’s the best medicine,” says Dr. Madan Kataria, who developed the technique of Laughter Yoga in 1995, with just five people gathered in a Mumbai park, combining breathing exercises, or pranayamas, with stretching exercises, clapping and simple pantomime games that provoke laughter.

We currently have a large number of studies that support the virtues of laughter, including that a good laugh oxygenates the body, produces endorphins, allows meditation and that one minute of laughter is equivalent to doing 10 minutes of aerobic exercise.

Laughter Yoga is based on the premise that the body does not recognize the difference between spontaneous laughter and provoked laughter, which is why, even when laughter is false, even if it is not pleasurable, the body receives the physiological benefits of laughter.

In addition, the first University of Laughter will open its doors in the city of Bangalore, in southern India, to extend its benefits, conduct advanced research in laughter therapy and train professionals in the discipline.

Here are 10 reasons to always laugh.

1. Laughing takes away stress. Laughter reduces levels of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which are associated with stress.
2. Strengthens the immune system. A study conducted by Dr. Lee S. Berk of Loma Linda University, California, shows that laughter increases white blood cells and antibody levels. Other studies had already shown that it increases antibodies in the mucosa of the nasal passages and in the respiratory tract.
3. It’s a fountain of youth. It tones facial muscles and causes some people to look more blushing, which nourishes the skin and makes it brighter.
4. It’s an aerobic exercise. Laughter stimulates the heart and blood, and is equivalent to performing any other type of traditional aerobic exercise. Dr. William Fry of Stanford University says that one minute of vigorous laughter equals 10 minutes on rowing exercise machines. On the other hand, it is an exercise that most people can perform, including those who are bedridden or in a wheelchair.
5. Exercise your abdominal muscles. Laughing tones the muscles of the abdomen and massages all the internal organs, improving the blood supply in that area.
6. It is a natural pain reliever. Laughter increases the levels of endorphins, the human body’s natural painkillers. The endorphins released can help reduce the intensity of pain in patients suffering from arthritis and muscle spasms in the body.
7. It can control blood pressure. Some experiments have shown that a good 10-minute laughing session can result in a 10-20mm reduction in blood pressure.
8. Laughter can help eliminate depression and anxiety.
9. Laughter relieves bronchitis and asthma. It turns out that laughter improves lung capacity and blood oxygen levels.
10. Laughter only makes everyone feel good. See for yourself.

References:

Why Laughter May Be Medicinal
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126418399

Fry, W. (1994). The biology of humor. International Journal of Humor 111-126.