Can you laugh away stress?

I don’t mean you should laugh about serious things in your life. Rather, have you thought about using laughter as a remedy for stress?

Here is why. A friend and I were watching James Corden’s Crosswalk The Musical: Les Miserable. I can’t remember when we laughed so much or so hard. I was literally crying and my face hurt at the end. It is incredible funny. And after the laughing, we both noticed how de-stressed we felt. Science backs us up. Laughter relieves stress. It’s good for the soul!

Laughter also connects us to other people. Laughter is social and important in healthy relationships. When you laugh with someone, it brings you together in a fun and positive way. And the effects of that laughter last up to 45 minutes in terms of relaxing your muscles. Tension is eased.

When you laugh, your body experiences changes. You take in more oxygen-rich air. Your heart, muscles and lung are stimulated. And most of us know that endorphins, those feel good hormones that help both with stress and pain, are released in the brain. The end result is you feel better. Muscles relax. Your heart rate decreases. Your blood pressure goes down. Pain is decreased. And you actually burn a few calories!

Perhaps you need a reminder to laugh. Put a crazy toy on your work desk, a smiley face on your computer, a screen saver of a favorite picture that makes you smile. And try to laugh at yourself once in awhile. This will keep things in perspective. If you really struggle, find a few funny people and allow their laughter to infect you.

In the long-run, adding laughter to your life actually improves your immune system. Those positive thoughts associated with laughter are replacing the negative thoughts that often lead to feeling worse. Laughter is like your personal fight system against stress, pain and depression. So maybe it’s time to add more laughter to your life. If the benefits are so great, why not make it a point to find ways to laugh–funny movies, jokes, books, sayings, or a crazy video like the one from James Corden.