Why Do You Have To Laugh More? 9 Benefits Of Laughter
What is laughter? Do you know all the benefits it has? Discover why you should laugh more and how to do it through advice from psychology. Laughing will make you much happier!
Do you know the great secrets that occur when laughing? ¿What is laughter? Laughter can bring us many benefits beyond the moment in which we laugh. Being able to laugh at everything is one of the most authentic skills we can learn.
According to the dictionary, Laughter It is a movement of the mouth and other parts of the face that show joy, promoting a feeling of pleasure. It is shown carrying out a series of more or less noisy aspirations, largely dependent on the contractions of the diaphragm and accompanied by the facial muscles, the resonance of the pharynx and the soft palate.
Many researchers have discovered that finding humor and the different types of laughter In the circumstances that surround us, it can be one of the great weapons to fight stress. Different medical studies that went beyond science verified that those patients who used humor in their recovery benefited from a more negative view of the situation. Humor and laughter are one of the best ways to deal with the jokes, sometimes in bad taste, that life plays on us.
The laughter and humor They reduce stress and negative emotions, while at the same time increasing our subjective well-being. Since while positive emotions are produced, they are incompatible with negative ones, therefore their increase means a decrease in negative ones.
What physical effects does laughter have?
After an intense laughter session We feel really good, this happens because when we laugh, several biochemical substances are released that affect the entire organism:
When a person starts To laugh out loud, dopamine is released, a neurotransmitter that elevates our mood. Serotonin, a type of endorphin with calming and analgesic effects and finally adrenaline, which allows us to be more awake, receptive and provides us with creativity.
In addition to the release of these substances, laughing activates many parts of our body, thus increasing the benefits of laughing
Exercise is performed: A laughing person activates about 400 muscles, including some of the stomach that we only exercise with laughter.
Massage: Humor and laughter cause the bones of the spine and cervical spine, where we tend to accumulate tension, to stretch.
Cleaning: lubrication and cleansing of the eyes with tears. Laughing out loud makes your head vibrate, clears your nose and ears. It also eliminates toxins from the body.
Oxygenation: Laughter causes twice as much air to enter the lungs and the skin becomes more oxygenated.
Happiness: Any type of laughter promotes the production of endorphins in the brain, which help maintain a good psychological balance for the person. It causes great serenity, reduces anxiety and stress and increases creativity.
Psychological benefits of laughter
It is important to note that humor, fun and Laughter They balance our nervous system, which places the brain at an optimal emotional level for well-being.
Referring to the latest recent research, Laugh Lab is a British project that investigates the mechanisms that enable different reactions to jokes and games to laugh a lot From this project we extract the following curiosities:
People who combat their stress with the humor They have a healthier immune system
They suffer 40% less heart attack or stroke
They have less pain during dental treatments
They live an average of four and a half years longer
When pregnant women laugh, a greater amount of melatonin is found in their milk, a substance that reduces the risk of allergies in 5- and 6-month-old children.
Apart from these characteristics extracted from this study, there are broadly the following benefits of laughing for our mental health.
1. Releases endorphins
Laughter It releases endorphins, natural chemicals in our body that make us feel joy, well-being and relieve any damage from stress.
2. Reduces anger
When we find ourselves facing a difficult situation or in disagreement with others, trying to see the humor behind it or laughing at the situation can undo all the anger of the moment. In this way, one of the benefits of laughter It is the effect it has against anger, conflict and guilt.
3. Relieves distress
A loud laugh can counteract feelings linked to anxiety and sadness. In many cases, any of the types of laughter that exist manage to combat intense emotions linked to these mental health diseases.
Another of the benefits of laughter is to be able to reduce stress, as well as increase our energy levels. In this way, laughing people can become revitalized through laughter.
5. Change your perspective
Thanks to laughing, people can put themselves in the point of view of others. In this sense Laughter It can make us see an idea in a new way and with another meaning. Therefore, one of the benefits of laughter and humor is mainly to help us take things less seriously.
6. Reduce stress
When there is contagious laughter and people end up laughing, this can reduce the levels of cortisol in our body. This substance is also known as the stress hormone, so having lower levels means improvements for our mental health. Laugh out loud increases our resistance to stress and situations against the clock.
7. Increases our intelligence
The laugh and laugh It allows our brain to function much better. This happens because when people laugh, catecholamine is released, a hormone that participates in very crucial functions of the brain such as movement, cognition, emotions, learning and memory. In this way, one of the benefits of laughter is to allow our brain to function properly.
8. Social benefits
When people laugh we can connect with others. In the same way that happens with a smile and humility, the laughts They are contagious. The more you allow yourself to laugh in your life, the more likely you are to surround yourself with more positive people by your side and leave behind those who cause you some discomfort.
9. Improves self-esteem
A laughing person not only improves their own outlook, but also makes them more optimistic in all aspects of their life. In this way, through the laughts People can change themselves inside and leave behind the negative thoughts that destroyed their self-esteem.
That is why there are therapies such as laughter therapy, where you try to do things to laugh and benefit from the effects of laughing Laughter makes us feel better in all aspects, discovering this opens the doors to multiple possibilities, if our attitude towards the events around us change and laughter predominates, it favors a better quality of life and greater well-being. For this reason, if you think that you are not able to laugh, it is important that you try to find the reasons behind it. If you think it is necessary, consult with a professional psychologist.
Do you want to have all the benefits of laughter? To laugh much more, you must cultivate your sense of humor and free yourself in various ways. Here we will show you some psychological guidelines to be able to laugh more.
1. Smile more
Through smiling, people can laugh much more. Furthermore, constantly seeing yourself with a smile on your face can have very positive effects for both you and the people around you.
2. Practice gratitude
When you are grateful or reflect on everything you have achieved or have in life, your mental state improves in many ways. In this way, in order to To laugh out loud It will be vital to visualize everything positive that surrounds you in life.
3. Surround yourself with positive people
On many occasions we have a negative attitude due to the toxic people around us. Therefore, in order to have all the benefits of laughter, we must have at our side people laughing constantly.
4. Practice your sense of humor
A sense of humor is a skill that we can all improve in our lives. This way you will make everyone around you laugh at all your graces. When you make laughter your way of life, you will be able to benefit from all the good things about the laughts
5. Practice a healthy life
Laugh It is good in many ways. But in order to have a positive attitude that goes hand in hand with laughter, it is essential to try to practice a healthier lifestyle. To do this, get regular exercise and eat a good diet.
6. Self-knowledge
To laugh About oneself and everything, it is essential to have a good knowledge of our interior. In many cases, laughing people know what their defects and virtues are and that is why they know how to leave seriousness aside. By knowing ourselves we can accept ourselves as we are and see the positive side of all the situations we have.
7. Go to laughter therapy
Laughter therapy ensures that we can obtain all the benefits of laughter In this way, by going to various therapies of this style we can learn to laugh in any of the situations that surround us.
The laughter It is one of the most positive faculties that humans can have. Being able to fill our lives with laughter will help us achieve our goals and achieve happiness.
