Anyone who has ever laughed at a very funny joke, television show or movie knows that laughter feels good. Did you know it’s also good for your health? Just ten minutes of laughter a day can have enormous health benefits, especially when it is done in a group and accompanied by deep breathing exercises.
How Does Laughter Help the Body?
Laughter burns calories and brings the body endorphins. Ten minutes of laughter is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. Laughter lowers stress hormones in the body, making it easier to cope with stress and maintain lower levels of anxiety, bringing a more hopeful and positive attitude towards life. Lowered stress hormones mean a stronger immune system, which means your body can fight off diseases better—not just depression and anxiety, but the cold and the flu, as well as other chronic medical problems.
Laughter yoga is great for seniors because it increases their life expectancy and overall happiness, giving them a simple form of exercise that won’t lead to a risk of injury. Laughter can even improve motor skills and expressive skills in physically or mentally challenged individuals. Workplace laughter is a great form of team-building that can happen at work or at a convention with the help of conference organizers. No matter the problem present, laughter may not take it away entirely but it will strengthen the body’s ability to cope and heal.
Finding Laughter
You don’t need a joke or a funny movie to laugh. The body can’t tell the difference between genuine laughter and forced laughter. You can force yourself to laugh to start off and real laughter should soon follow, especially if you are practicing in a group. Laughter is infectious, so if you hear someone laughing, your body will be triggered to laugh as well. Imagine what that could do for your workplace? Contrary to what you might think, – staff that laugh together work together.
Get a laughter session into your workplace, now, it’s inexpensive, great fun and will do more to boost performance and reduce stress than any other intervention you can think of. Guaranteed! Contact us: info@laughterworks.com.au, or 0438 545 607