The Power of Laughter
Free image by Jordan from Pixabay
Earlier this year, I was hanging out with a friend from college who was visiting for a few days. After a huge belly laugh, I realized that I had not laughed like that in quite a while. I am not sure if it was a result of the serious tone and social isolation of the pandemic, my focus on my career goals, the loss of loyal dog and dedicated walking buddy, the heavy challenges many of the people in my life were facing, or all of the above. In that moment, I told my friend I want to laugh more—I want more people in my life that I life with.
The interesting result of putting this intention out in the world is, not only to I start attracting new people into my life with whom I share carefree laughter, I also started laughing more with the existing people in my life, as well as many of my clients. The comment about how good it feels to laugh often arose.
Not only does laughter feel great, it also has a number of health benefits. In the short-term, laughter stimulates our organs, increases circulation in our body, relieves our stress response, and releases tension (Mayo Clinic, 2023). In the long-term, laughter can boost out immune system, improve our resistance to illness, decrease pain, help us form quality connections with others, boost our mood, and increase the level of personal satisfaction we experience in our lives (May Clinic, 2023).
Laughter helps activate our parasympathetic nervous system in charge of the maintenance activities in our body like digestion, healing, and recovery (Cleaveland Clinic, 2022). Laughter helps bring more oxygen to our tissues and helps us feel calmer.
While genuine playful laughter it not something we can force to happen, we can be more open and vulnerable to welcoming laughter and play into our daily lives. It can positively impact the quality of connections with friends, family, work and intimate relationships as well as increase daily quality of life experiences.
Tonia
Cleaveland Clinic (11 Nov 2022).Why laughing is good for you. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-laughing-good-for-you/
Mayo Clinic (23 Sept 2023). Stress Management. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456