Why is laughter the best medicine for stress

Ever heard of laughter yoga? You can try this minute session on your own or with friends. You may be surprised just how contagious the laughter is. Along with a balanced diet and regular exercise, laughter is a wonderful and fun way to enhance your health. Her prior roles include health education and wellness coaching.

Saturdays - a. Sundays - Closed. SelectHealth may link to other websites for your convenience. SelectHealth does not expressly or implicitly recommend or endorse the views, opinions, specific services, or products referenced at other websites linked to the SelectHealth site, unless explicitly stated.

The content presented here is for your information only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, and it should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns. Here are five ways to get started:. You can even make a ritual out of it — make a snack and curl up into your favorite comfy spot a few times a week.

Our furry, feathered and scaly pals are great at delivering laughs. Chase your companion as they scamper around the house, break out the laser pointer or play with their favorite toy. Nothing unleashes silliness like an impromptu dance party.

Fire up your favorite tunes and start moving. If you live with others, get the family involved and dance badly on purpose. Or, if you really want to show off, bust out your best moves.

The next time you find yourself in need of a few guffaws, consider reaching out to a pal who cracks you up. This content does not have an English version.

This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Stress management. Products and services. Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke When it comes to relieving stress, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.

Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Lower stress: How does it affect the body? American Heart Association. Accessed March 30, Create joy and satisfaction. Mental Health America. Savage BM, et al. Humor, laughter, learning, and health! A brief review. Advances in Physiology Education. Yim J. The more antibodies we have, the more likely we are to avoid colds and the less likely we are to get sick.

Experts confirm that laughing improves our overall quality of life and helps to cure illness. It makes us more sociable. Laughter can also help us when it comes to our personal relationships — not only with people we already know and feel comfortable with, but with strangers and those we hardly know, too. Difficult situations are made easier. Even if we only laugh for a few short seconds, during that time our minds forget all about pain and worry.

This can help us find the strength to face up to difficult situations and problems. Laughing alleviates feelings such as fear and rage, meaning we can face painful or complicated moments with more optimism.

The best bit? It can even make us more effective at finding quicker, more effective solutions to whatever problem we may have. Happy hormones are released. Some experts believe that laughter has the power to heal. Well, because when we laugh, aside from a feeling of freedom, we encourage our bodies to release hormones that increase our overall happiness. Dopamine improves our mood, adrenaline makes us more alert and receptive, and serotonin is a calming, pain-relieving endorphin. We breathe better.

Do you realise that every time we breathe in and out we expand our lungs and stretch and relax our muscles? It bases itself on the fact that laughing for a period of time can help to regulate breathing and bring oxygen to the lungs.