Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Searching for Laughter in a Grim World

It's harder than ever to laugh about something during these grim times of social unrest and increasing climate disasters. That's a given.

The Search for Laughter

Reader's Digest features a monthly section titled, "Laughter is the best medicine." Start your search for humor there.

Experts say that laughter is a great form of stress relief... and that's no joke. It's not going to cure all ailments, but recent research shows the positive things laughter does offer.

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. 

Here's a few examples: (Source - Mayo Clinic)

* It stimulates many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released from your brain.

* It activates and relives your stress response. A good hearty laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The payoff leaves you feeling relaxed.

* It soothes tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Are you afraid you lost your sense of humor or never really had an easy time laughing? Don't worry about it!

Humor can be learned

You can keep humor on your horizon by watching funny TV shows, movies, and reading books and magazines devoted to humor. There're many other ways like going to humorous web sites to get a good chuckle.

I've found that sharing my humorous situations with others quickly strips away my tensions. When you laugh at yourself people are likely to laugh with you. 

A great example would be comedic legend Rodney Dangerfield. I dare you to listen to one of his routines and not laugh so hard you get short of breath!

Okay. It's time to turn the corners of your mouth up into a smile... and then laugh! Even if it feels forced. How do you feel afterwards? Are your muscles less tense? Do you feel more relaxed or even buoyant?

As it stands, it's a wonder that our brains have a built-in stress relief system.

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