April is National Humor Month. Larry Wilde created National Humor Month in 1976 to show people how humor is a useful tool to improve our ways of life. He stated, “The idea of laughing and the use of humor as a tool to lift ailing spirits is growing. Scientific research now indicates that the curative power of laughter and its ability to relieve debilitating stress and burnout may indeed be one of the great medical discoveries of our times.” Through laughing, we’re reducing our stress and pain levels, strengthening our immune systems, and recharging our bodies.
Humor plays an important role in our overall health, and there’s scientific research to back up the claim that “laughter is the best medicine.”
According to a 2015 Mayo Clinic Health Letter, there’s research to suggest that laughter is a useful tool that can heal us both physically and emotionally:
- Provide the benefits of a mini workout: Heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen consumption, and calories burned all increase when laughing.
- Reduce stress: Laughter can reduce levels of cortisol, the hormone produced when we are stressed. Scientists have also found that finding the humor in stressful situations, may increase an individual’s ability to cope with negative situations.
- Reduce pain: Humans produce endorphins, hormones that naturally provide pain relief, when we laugh.
And that’s just some of the findings that support the importance of laughter. This Mental Floss article provides a great overview of some of the additional health benefits of laughter. In a 2009 article, University of Alberta Professor William B. “Billy” Strean, PhD, a 3M National Teaching Fellow, suggests that “along with eating your vegetables and getting enough sleep, laughter is a sound prescription as a wonderful way to enhance health.”
Humor is everywhere. We communicate through humor and we utilize it as a tool to connect with others. The more humor you have in your life, the better!
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