Laughing is good for your physical and mental health. When you laugh, it tells your body you are happy and your nervous system smiles in cooperation.
Even if something isn't really funny, laughing is beneficial. It's good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
Experiment
Try an experiment for the next week: smile and laugh a lot every day. You don't need a reason to laugh, just do it. You will probably feel lighter and more joyful. There is an added benefit when you wear a smile, you will look more attractive and people will be drawn to you. It's free and there are no side effects!
What the Mayo Clinic Says about Laughing
Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke! When it comes to relieving stress, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered. Here's why. Whether you're guffawing at a sitcom on TV or quietly giggling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing does you good. Laughter is a great form of stress relief, and that's no joke.
Stress Relief from Laughter
A good sense of humor can't cure all ailments, but data is mounting about the positive things laughter can do.
Short-term Benefits
A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:
- Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
- Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
- Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
Long-term Effects
Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:
- Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
- Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
- Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
- Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.
Tips and Tools
Do you think you have a sense of humor that is underdeveloped or even nonexistent? No problem. Humor can be learned. In fact, developing or refining your sense of humor may be easier than you think.
- Put humor on your horizon. Find a few simple items, such as photos, greeting cards or comic strips, that make you chuckle. Then hang them up at home or in your office. Keep funny movies, books or comedy albums on hand for when you need an added humor boost. Look online at joke websites. Go to a comedy club.
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Laugh and the world laughs with you. Find a way to laugh about your own situations and watch your stress begin to fade away. Even if it feels forced at first, practice laughing. It does your body good.
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Consider trying laughter yoga. In laughter yoga, people practice laughter as a group. Laughter is forced at first, but it can soon turn into spontaneous laughter.
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Share a laugh. Make it a habit to spend time with friends who make you laugh. And then return the favor by sharing funny stories or jokes with those around you.
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Knock, knock. Browse through your local bookstore or library's selection of joke books and get a few rib ticklers in your repertoire that you can share with friends.
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Know what isn't funny. Don't laugh at the expense of others. Some forms of humor aren't appropriate. Use your best judgment to discern a good joke from a bad, or hurtful one.
Laughter Is the Best Medicine
Go ahead and give it a try. Turn the corners of your mouth up into a smile and then give a laugh, even if it feels a little forced. Once you've had your chuckle, take stock of how you're feeling. Are your muscles a little less tense? Do you feel more relaxed or buoyant? That's the natural wonder of laughing at work.
Enjoy some of the funny jokes people have submitted below. Feel free to share jokes in the "Leave a comment" section near the bottom of this page. Please do not submit anything that is offensive, profane or hurtful.
Inspiration
"Thank you for the Recurring Distance Healings. I feel that I am back on track again. I am doing a better job of accepting people as they are and being compassionate rather than getting upset at them. I also feel like I am more aware of habits that are not serving me and am letting them go for other more balanced healthy ways of being."
Robert Colangeli
"It was so good! Thanks for taking care of us and so delicately."
Frank Jacobs
"Thanks. It was a great Distance Healing. I was blown away by the energy. Wow!"
Janet Evertson
"Increased clarity helped me to identify and correct the physical basis of a longstanding sleep problem. I have been waking up early feeling properly rested after years of needing to sleep really late and not being able to do anything to change it. Clear insights led me to make another major change with far-reaching beneficial repercussions."
Michael Koren
More inspiring stories
With love,
Suzanne
A man was walking along the beach in Malibu and suddenly found himself talking with God.
God said, “For your unwavering devotion over many years and in response to the many hardships I have made you endure, I would like to grant you one wish.”
The man said, “I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I can’t because I’m afraid to fly and ships make me seasick. My wish is for you to build a highway from here to Hawaii.”
God replied, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do that. Just think of all the work involved. Think of the huge pilings we would need to hold up that highway and how deep they would have to be to reach the bottom of the ocean. Think of all the cement that would be needed. Plus, since it’s such a long span, there would have to be gas stations and rest stops along the way. No, that’s just too much to ask. Impossible. Think of another wish.”
The guy thought for a moment and said, “Well, there is one thing I’ve always wanted to know. I’d like to be able to understand women. What makes them laugh and cry. Why are they so temperamental? Why are they so difficult to get along with. What makes them tick?”
God thought for a second, then asked, “Do you want that highway with two lanes or four?”
This is from my high school calculus teacher:
A mathematician, a physicist, and an engineer lived in the same neighborhood. One night, the engineer woke up to find that his house was on fire. He quickly sat up, grabbed a notebook, calculated the amount of water needed to put out the fire, got the water, put out the fire, and went back to sleep.
The next night, the physicist woke up to find that his house was on fire. He quickly sat up, grabbed a notebook, calculated the amount of water needed to put out the fire, set down the notebook, and went back to sleep.
The next night, the mathematician woke up to find that his house was on fire. He opened one eye, thought for a moment, declared “a solution exists,” and rolled over and went back to sleep.
At a disco:
He: “Wow, what’s a cute girl like you doing in a corner all alone?”
She: “I had to fart.”
(sorry!)
bad spellers of the world,unit
I sold the vacuum cleaner to raise some cash – well,it was only gathering dust
Here is a long one. Not my own but with many laughs. ENJOY:
The Bible According to The Children:
The following statements about the Bible were written by children and have not been retouched or corrected (i.e., bad spelling has been left in).
In the first book of the Bible, Guinesses, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off.
Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree.
Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark because Noah built the ark, which the animals came to in pears.
Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.
The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with unsympathetic Genitals.
Samson was a strong man who let himself be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah.
Samson slew the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles.
Moses led the Hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread without any ingredients.
The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert.
Afterward, Moses went up to Mount Cyanide to find the ten amendments.
The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.
The seventh commandment is “Thou shalt not admit adultery.”
Moses died before he ever reached Canada.
Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol.
The greatest miricle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.
David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
Solomon, one of David’s sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
When Mary heard that she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.
Then the three Wise Guys from the East arrived and found Jesus in the manager.
Jesus was born because Mary had an Immaculate Contraption.
St. John, the blacksmith, dumped water on his head.
Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says do one to others before they do one to you. He also explained that “Man does not live by sweat alone.”
It was a miricle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
The people who followed Jesus were called the 12 decibels.
The epistles were the wives of the apostles.
St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached the holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage.