George Vaillant said it best: "Laughter is the most elegant coping mechanism". Indeed; where there is laughter, there is joy, or at least a relief from negativity, no matter how seemingly temporary.
Laughter has positive physical and psychological effects. It loosens muscular tension, clears adverse effects of exhaustion, and alleviates pain. Laughter brightens one's mood, raises spirits, and loosens defenses. Psychological research has found that a shortage of laughter raises one's chances of developing stress, tension, diseases, overwhelm, and burn out. Studies further prove that people who laugh often everyday are more resilient to all kinds of pressure, are calmer, more productive, energetic, optimistic, and committed.
Dr. Annette Goodheart advises a daily dose of hearty laughter to help regain psycho-emotional balance and overcome tension, stress, or pain. Dr. Goodheart, who is well-experienced in therapeutic processes, validates that laughter helps re-balance body chemicals triggered by fear or anger's internal chemistry. She affirms that laughter is a natural catharsis process, releasing happy biochemical players such as endorphins, oxytocin, dynorphin, and many more.
Furthermore, Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan confirm the astounding effects of humor and laughter on the body. Both humor therapists and researchers, they noted that laughter activates the immune system. decreases stress hormones, reduces pain, relaxes muscles, provides cardiac exercise, and lowers blood pressure. Above all, laughter promotes an overall sense of well-being.
In his book entitled "Anatomy of an Illness", Norman Cousins relates how he surpassed a kness disorder known as ankylosingspondylitis primarily by laughing, which brought Psycho-neuro-immunology under the spotlight and pioneered a new way of looking at body-mind and spirit connections.
Steve Gordier adds that a child laughs 400 times a day, while an average adult only 15 times. Being like a child and laughing the way and as many times as they do could definitely change physical and psychological well-being, with a renewed and regenerated state of childlike happiness.
