Laughter is the Best Medicine: The Health Benefits of Humor

Did you know that humor is not only fun, it is actually good for you? That's right; laughter really is the best medicine!

Children on average laugh about 300 times a day. Can you guess how many times per day the average adult laughs? Not even close. Just 17 times per day is the average. How sad that we lose all our sense of humor as we grow up! Especially since it can actually make you healthier.

The simple act of throwing your head back and roaring at any kind of humor has multiple benefits both mentally and physically. Laughter actually increases the immune system, making us stronger and better able to fight off disease. And all that humor has us sucking in more oxygen, too, which is good for the entire body.

The physical benefits of humor don't end there. Laughing has been proven to lower blood pressure, burn calories and gives your internal organs a good massage. It also exercises almost the entire body, which explains why we get sore sides after a good laugh session. It also lowers stress hormone levels, keeping us calmer.

Humor can change your mood instantly. It is very hard to be angry when something strikes you as funny, as many parents have discovered while trying to discipline a wayward child while trying to muffle their laughter at his actions. Laughing actually stimulates the brain, both left and right sides, to help the laughter retain more information. This makes humor the ideal study aid!

Depression and anxiety are almost non-existent in people who have a great sense of humor and who are able to laugh at themselves. These people automatically see the world in a different light, simply because of their sense of humor. Some doctors even recommend laughing as a therapeutic exercise.

This concept has even gone so far as to form humor clubs where the main activity is laughing. The idea behind this is that if you spend an hour giggling, you will be healthier. People join these clubs like you would join a spinning class! They spend the hour or so chortling away and go home feeling rejuvenated and healthy.

According to the laughing clubs, you don't have to feel the laughter in order for it to be beneficial. Just opening your mouth and laughing on purpose, forced or not, can increase heart rate, oxygen levels and boost the immune system. Although it is rather difficult not to really laugh when you are surrounded by club members doing the same thing. And humor is proven to be contagious, so a good group laugh is quite probable every time one of these clubs gets together.

With humor being so good for you, how can you add more to your everyday life? You can start by smiling at yourself in the mirror each morning and having a little five minute laugh to get the day started. Reading jokes, watching comedic movies or shows and hanging out with children are some guaranteed ways to get you chuckling yourself and on the road to better health.