Tip of the Day- Laugh!by Alison Palmer | More from this Blogger 11 Feb 2007 09:28 AM
There's the belly laugh, the snicker, the chortle, the gurgle, the twitter, and the snort. Did I miss any? How many different ways are there to laugh?  More importantly, how many times a day do you laugh? Do you consider yourself a happy person? A recent study found that children laugh about 100 times a day. Adults are lucky if they laugh three times a day. There is something very sad about that. Yes, I mean that literally.  Health can really be broken down into three parts: physical, nutritional, and emotional. They all have to work together for your whole wellbeing. Laughter is beneficial to both our physical and emotional health.  Laughter is an aerobic exercise. Yes, really. It works out your muscles and raises your heart rate.  There have been many scientific studies over the years which have tried to determine how laughter affects us. These studies have found that laughing can lower your blood pressure, increase circulation, and boost the immune system. It can help control pain. It can also be a factor in determining how well people are able to recover from major illnesses such as cancer. One Swedish researcher suggested that humor therapy would increase the quality of life for chronically ill patients as well as provide significant symptom relief.  On the emotional side, it releases endorphins for happiness and peace. It relieves stress, which is very bad for us.  A sense of humor is a very individual thing, but everyone should have one. Very few people get my husband's jokes because they tend to be very technical or very morbid. I've learned to appreciate them, but I prefer the innocent humor of youth (minus potty jokes). What makes you laugh the most? If it's not something that comes naturally to you, I hear there is a school in Germany you can attend to learn how to laugh. Put in your favorite comedy, read your favorite humorous novel, talk to a friend who always makes you laugh, or play a game with your kids.  Laugh loud and long. It's healthy! Related Articles: Laugh, Cry, Kiss Your Problems Goodbye Tip of the Day- Take a Commercial Break Friday Fitness Fun Facts, Did You Know? Learn more about Alison Palmer  Writing is Alison's favorite past time, but you can also frequently find her reading, playing piano, cooking, taking long walks, sewing, or playing with her family. Relevanthealth tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Discuss this article
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