K's Korner: The Benefits of Laughter

Krushangi Maisuria is the editor of HamletHub's TeenTimes and a regular contributor to Fairfield HamletHub. In this installment of her popular K's Korner online column, she writes about...

The Benefits of Laughter

Laughter might be the best medicine after all. According to many studies done in the past decade, laughter may have a profound effect on the body. Of course, other factors related to laughter, such as a positive attitude or a good sense of humor, may affect the body as well.

I wanted to research laughter because it might be something that only humans have the ability to create. Laughter, along with tears, are two things that are common among people, but not among animals. While there are many laughter-like behaviors in animals, real laughter is only found in humans, which is what makes it so interesting.

When someone laughs, many physical changes occur in his/her body. For example, laughter has a positive effect on the immune response, specifically T-cells, which help either coordinate the immune response or fight foreign substances in the body. Since laughter has also been found to lower stress levels, laughter helps relax the body. This is great for a good night’s sleep.

If you are stressed about an upcoming event or occasion, just remember to laugh, because according to a study done by the Loma Linda University in California, laughter helps lower stress levels. The study, which was conducted on 20 healthy adults between the ages of 60 and 70, tested the effect of laughter on memory and cortisol levels. The participants who watched funny videos demonstrated a higher memory recall and lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone, so the participants who watched the funny videos had lower stress levels.

Who knew that besides the immediate emotional effects of laughter and a good sense of humor, there were so many physical benefits as well?

If all that isn’t enough to convince you about the tremendous benefits of laughter, 10-15 minutes of laughter also burns about 50 calories!

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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