8 interesting facts about laughter and its health benefits
Nathan Rodrigues
Monday | November 14, 2016 | 9:24 AM | Last update: April 17, 2017, 10:42 AM (Brasilia time)
Laughing is much more than showing how happy you are. Did you know that this simple—and contagious—action provides a variety of health benefits? The Good Will Portal has made a list of some interesting facts that prove how a good belly laugh can help us have a good quality of life.
1. This is one of the few universal signs. Greetings may have different meanings in each region in the world, but laughter is a sign of happiness everywhere on the planet!
2. The body has to work harder to frown than to smile. We use more muscles showing concern than we do showing happiness.
3. When we laugh, we move 12 facial muscles. When we talk and laugh at the same time, the number increases to 84! This facial exercise stretches the skin and may delay the onset of static wrinkles.
4. When you let out a biiiiig belly laugh the levels of cortisol and adrenaline—stress hormones—reduce, and your brain starts producing endorphins, natural pain killing substances. As a result, your body produces more defense cells, which help strengthen the immune system. Laughing can be the best medicine!
5. A research carried out in Sweden has proved scientifically that laughing is contagious. Do you know why? When you see someone smiling and laughing, your natural response is to do the same. Laughing is reeeeally contagious!
6. If you laugh between 10 and 15 minutes a day, you will burn off 10 to 40 calories.
7. A quick conversation of approximately 10 minutes between friends leads to an average of 5 to 8 doses of laughter.
8. Laughter increases our self-esteem, which causes pleasant sensations and helps eliminate negative feelings, like sadness and even depression.
