COLUMN: Benefits of laughter

• Luhan Barnard writes:

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. – Woody Allen

At the start of a new year we often have lots of plans. Plans to finally loose that weight or make more money. Maybe you want to change your job or start a new hobby. We start of with the best intentions but then life happens. As Mike Tyson said: “Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face…” and boy have we been smacked about these last couple of years.

Also read: Why your child needs more laughter in their life

It’s a very good idea to have plans and to do everything we can to bring those plans to fruition but the fact is that we live in very uncertain times and there are so many things that can derail us that it is a good idea to have a backup plan. What will you do when things go wrong?

There are certainly loads of complicated, well thought out and more technical strategies to fix problems than the one I want to suggest to you today. I also don’t mean to minimise or take lightly the very real and serious problems that some of us are dealing with. I understand pain and physical or emotional distress and it is wise to seek out professional help if you are dealing with any of these. But I do want to suggest that you take an honest look at your situation and see if you can’t find a way to see the funny side of it.

Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine. – Lord Byron

Also read: Why is laughter contagious?

There are countless stories of people who were in the darkest of situations and still managed to find laughter. Even more important… there are many people who have been able to change their situations through laughter.

I want to encourage you to find your laughter. Learn to laugh at yourself, at the strangeness of life and how uncontrollable it all is at times. The benefits might just outweigh our misguided sense of propriety and if you just take the chance you might find some magic that could just lift the dark cloud from the problems you are dealing with.

Benefits of Laughter

• Laughter helps release fear.
• According to a study done by the University of Chicago, a great sense of humour can add up to 8 years to your life.
• Laughter can help lower your blood pressure. People who tend to laugh at their mistakes show less of a rise in blood pressure when under pressure.
• When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy.
• Laughter help release anxiety and stress. Laughter triggers the release of the body’s natural feel-good chemicals called endorphins.
• Laughter lowers the body’s level of cortisol. Since cortisol suppresses the immune system, lowering it helps the immune system work properly.
• Laughter helps release anger. Laughter increases your oxygen intake.
• Laughter improves your mood and the mood of those around you.You stimulate your heart and lungs by laughing. This helps improve your overall breathing capacity.
• Laughing takes the edge off and brings positive feelings to ourselves and the people around us. Some of us find it easier to laugh that others but there are things we can all do to bring more laughter into our lives.

Tips to bring more laughter in your life

• Smile more. I may sound silly but the more you smile the easier it is to laugh.

• Don’t take life so seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself. We all make mistakes from time to time.
• Spend most of your time with people who make you laugh.
• Share with your friends and loved ones some of your funny, embarrassing stories.
• Visualize a funny something. How does it make you feel. Focus on your body.

Thanks to Hub pages for some of the tips and benefits listed.

May you find more laughter. Reclaim your inner child and lift the cloud from your circumstances.

With lots of laughter