Benefits of Laughter

Children, wise beyond their years, laugh significantly more times per day than adults.

Unlike cheeseburgers and milkshakes, moderation of laughter can actually disrupt the body's natural healing mechanism. So keep laughing, keep healing.

Don't take our word for it. There's scientific research behind this:

Laughter can stimulate major physiologic systems of the body.
Studies by Dr. William Fry, Stanford University, show light-hearted, carefree laughter helps:

• you get good physical exercise
• you can decrease chances of respiratory infections
• your body generates endorphins [those amazing painkillers!]

Humor can help your heart.
Heart attack patients at Loma Linda University Medical Center were all treated with standard medical care—but half also watched humorous videos for 30-minutes a day. After one year, that group:

• had fewer arrhythmias
• lower blood pressure
• lower levels of stress hormones
• required lower doses of medication
• 20% recurrent heart attack rate, compared to 50%

Ten minutes of mirthful laughter gave a patient two hours of pain-free sleep.
In his Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins described his potentially fatal disease and how he discovered humor and other positive emotions helped him battle away the symptoms.

This is just the beginning. Researchers worldwide are publishing proven links between laughter and stress reduction, healing, pain control, immunity boosting, and even the ability to fight tumor cells in some cancer patients.

So laughter, often the best medicine, could be a part of every treatment plan!