Laughter Therapy - Learn to Laugh and Stay Healthy

Sometime back when I went for an early morning drive along the beach road in Chennai, I saw the usual crowd of people jogging and running about, some doing yoga and the police on patrol. Suddenly, out of the blue, I hear loud laughter sounds, giggling and then I turned around to see a group of people standing in a circle and laughing and I realize it is that laughing therapy class. Laughter is considered to be one of the umpteen number of gifts that mankind has been bestowed with. It is highly contagious; it makes us feel alive and lifts up our spirits. It has positive effects on both our physical and mental health. Laughter therapy or humor therapy as it is sometimes called, helps to get rid of any stress or discomfort caused by various factors.  Read on to discover the benefits of laughter therapy.

Laughter is one of the factors that can make you feel better not only about yourself but also about the world around you. It’s quite surprising to find that, when you laugh, it can induce positive changes in your body and can make you feel better. Oxygen intake is highly enhanced when you laugh. The heart and lungs are stimulated; the muscles across the body feel relaxed. The endorphins which are the body’s natural painkillers are released when we laugh.

Laughing helps to keep the blood pressure under control and improves the mental abilities like alertness and creativity. All these go a long way in reducing overall tension, thereby enhancing your wellbeing and the overall quality of life.

Heart patients when they took part in some laughing therapy sessions, ended up showing improved levels in the functioning of heart.

At the same time, please just don’t stop with laughing; start doing proper exercises on a regular basis and stick to a healthy diet, so as to keep a healthy body and mind.

Go ahead have a few laughs, enjoy the miracle of laughing and spread the joy. Remember, don't laugh at others' faults. That is rude. Share a healthy laugh and lighten your mood whenever you feel stressed out. Laugh at yourself, but never laugh to offend others.