Laughter might not be the best medicine, but it sure is “Free”
If you ask me what looks most attractive on a person, my answer would be laugh lines, you know those fine lines around the corner of your mouth and near your eyes that are formed by years and years of laughter 😃
Why are we talking about laughter all of a sudden? Because first Sunday of month of May is celebrated as “World Laughter Day”
Now before we dive into the health aspect of the laughter, can I just be vain for a minute and address how good people look when they laugh! A persons’ attractiveness quotient, reliability quotient and friendliness quotient shoots through the roof when they laugh (no research to cite here, just personal experiences :P)
Laughter IS-
- Inexpensive: one need not spend any money to redeem a good laugh.
- Readily available: You can absolutely do it any time.
- Accessible: and literally anywhere! (except funerals and also maybe when your spouse wants to have ‘a talk’! ☠️)
- Contagious: Laugh and the world laughs with you :)
Laughter ISN’T-
- Remedy for all diseases: contrary to the popular belief, laughter isn’t the miraculous cure for all illnesses… none the less it does render numerous health benefits. Read benefits of laughter.
- Easy for all: Conditions like depression, lack of sleep, financial worries and emotional turmoil can get in the way of a purely whole hearted laughter. If combating depression, get help immediately!
- Always about happiness: Have you ever laughed out loud in despair, agony and anger? I know I have…
However, Laughter DOES-
- Increase your Happy Hormones: Laughter indeed increases your serotonin levels which in turn makes you a happier and lighter version of yourself.
- Relieves Stress: laughter interferes with the release of stress hormones. And less stress means happy hormones, happy heart, and a happier you!
- Keep your skin youthful: when you laugh you tend to breath heavily, heart rate increases, lungs expand and we consume more oxygen/expel more carbon dioxide. Also not just lungs, skin too gets some extra O2 which helps in keeping it youthful and glowing.
- Give your tummy an exercise: a belly laugh is one of best ways of giving your abdominal muscles a good exercise (think toned abs😍)
- Fight Germs! : Yes you read it right. Anxiety and depression weakens our immune system and laughter by fighting them makes us stronger!
6. Combat ageing: Laughter is positively associated with keeping telomeres intact which may slow down ageing! (need a better reason to laugh?)
7. Makes you more approachable: Its true, people like happy people… people are innately drawn towards a whole hearted laughter.
How to laugh more?
- Laughter Yoga: remember back in kindergarten (well if you do remember that far beyond 🙌🙌🙌) when one kid would start giggling, eventually the entire class would start giggling! Yes, laughter indeed is contagious! A group of people laughing will make you laugh even if initially you are not feeling like it! So, what are you waiting for? Join a laughter club near you today!
- Read funny: I don’t know about y’all but I have always been a fan of newspaper comic strips…I grew up reading Chintoo!!
What is your favorite comic strip? Share with us down below in the comments…
If you are into reading novels or books, check out this list. My personal favorite is Bossy Pants by Tina Fey.
3. Watch funny: Have at least one sitcom on your weekly must watch list (give thrones and prison dramas a break once in a while!). Some of my personal favorites are(list again is non comprehensive and totally subjective!!) Hum Paanch (❤️), Chala Hawa Yeu Dya, Brooklyn 99, Arrested Development, SNL… What are some of the your favorite sitcoms?
And then there are stand-up comedians, youtubers, satiric talk shows…
Now listen here, I am not promoting watching TV 24/7, just that if you are going to spend some time in front of the screen, might as well make it into “chuckle time”
4. Friends that laugh together, stay together: You must have heard this advise “befriend a funny person(?)”. Its true that we gravitate towards funny people and want to get chummy with them; but how cool is it ‘ to befriend someone with a motive and because of a certain trait of theirs’?(!). Instead,
Be silly and unapologetically funny yourself, when around friends (existing ones!) Share funny quotes with them! Have inside jokes! Watch a funny movie with them… Together be a bunch of goofs😉
ONE THING YOU MUST NEVER DO THOUGH is laugh at someone, laughing on someone’s expense and taking pleasure in someone’s misery!
“Once again, we Team DawaiBox wish you all a joyful world laughter day”. Keep laughing, always…
You can share your health queries with me (Soniya, MS. RD) at DawaiBox
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