Describe the impact of laughter and humor on stress and health

Answer 1

The adage that "laughter is good medicine" has proven to be true. Laughter can help prevent stress and it has positive health benefits. Laughter has shown physiological, psychological, social, spiritual, and quality-of-life benefits. The late Dr. Norman Cousins brought attention to laughter as a legitimate tool for relieving stress and pain. He found that ten minutes of laughter allowed him two hours of pain-free sleep while dealing with a painful, chronic illness called ankylosing spondylytis. After this personal experience, he spent the rest of his life investigating the positive emotions and their relationship to health.

In addition, humor and laughter have numerous effects involving the muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, immune, and central nervous system. A review of research reports that laughter:
1 . Exercises and relaxes muscles
2 . Improves respiration
3 . Stimulates circulation
4 . Decreases stress hormones
5 . Increases the immune system's defenses
6 . Elevates pain threshold and tolerance
7 . Enhances mental functioning