The benefits of laughing, a health issue

When we laugh , we do it with the whole body. To the laugh several muscles of the face and abdomen are contracted, the thorax expands and lung and heart activity is stimulated, as occurs when practicing aerobic exercise or during laughter therapy.

The laughter it is an action that allows, among other things, to release energy and manifest satisfactory sensations. This activity also mobilizes the brain. A study of Stanford University, California , revealed that humor and jokes stimulate the areas of the brain called "reward", the same that are activated when consuming drugs or living pleasurable moments, such as laughter therapy.

In turn, laughter encourages the production of endorphins in the brain , specifically the enkephalins, substances that act as natural relaxants, reduce stress, anguish and pain, explained Manuel Morales, academic of the Faculty of Superior Studies (FES) Zaragoza of the UNAM. "These effects have been shown in patients with cancer and anxiety ”.

The impact of expressions of joy on health is undoubted. There are studies with children who suffer Cancer , who are presented with a session with clowns and there is a decrease in their blood pressure due to the effect of endorphins , their mood improves, they can better cope with their illness and have fewer relapses, he said.

Another benefit when we laugh, he said, is that it favors the activity of the immune system by increasing levels of immunoglobulin A.

A baby smiles on average 400 times a day, while an adult smiles 15 times. The data is revealing, because as we grow we lose the benefits of laughter.

At the FES Zaragoza, the psychologist Manuel Morales and his research group have documented the physical and emotional benefits of the laugh therapy in patients

"Children are presented with clowns and puppets; to adults, comic movies, sympathetic works or jokes; While they laugh, we monitor their physiological changes. Using electrocardiograms, we observed that the rhythm of the heart increases, which increases its ability to pump blood.

"After performing clinical blood tests to know their levels of glucose, cholesterol and other elements, we see that they are modified beneficially."

The objective of the laugh therapy It is not keeping the sick smiling all the time, because prolonged laughter can be harmful, even cause death due to the spasms and interruptions in breathing they produce. This technique should be practiced in a controlled manner, depending on the suffering of each person, he said.

"Laughter is not the medicine that will cure everything, but it is one more tool that we can use in the management of patients, a therapeutic resource that health institutions should take into account," said Manuel Morales.
 

Follow us on@GetQoralHealth ,  GetQoralHealth on Facebook,Pinterest and inYoutube

Would you like to receive more information about your interest?Sign up with us.


Video Medicine: How Laughing Affects Our Health (And Why Its The BEST MEDICINE) (March 2024).