Laughter- The Best Medicine

Abstract

To,
The editor,
Laughter that is the act or sound of laughing is a powerful
medicine to nullify and or counter balance stress, pain,
and conflicts in our lives. It is very well said that humor
is like an infection. The sound of roaring laughter is far
more contagious than any other infection such as cough,
sniffle, or sneeze. Whenever it is shared, it binds people
together and increases happiness among them and also
in their surroundings. Laughter is documented to have
many benefits being classified as (1) Physical Health
Benefits: such as boosting up of our immunity, lowering
of our stress hormones level, decreasing our pain,
relaxation of our muscles, prevention of heart diseases
etc. (2) Mental Health Benefits: like it adds joy and zest
to our lives, eases the states of anxiety and fear which
we often come across, relieves our stress and plays a
role in improving our mood status etc. (3) Social Benefits:
such as it strengthens our bond of relationships, enhances
the spirit of teamwork, helps us to defuse conflict etc.1
When we laugh a process starts which then reduces the
level of stress hormones in our body. It stimulates and
increases our immune cells so that we can fight with
the infections with the help of our infection fighting
antibodies. In this way we become strong by developing
resistance to diseases. Laughter triggers the release of
endorphins which promote an overall sense of wellbeing
in our mind and body and can even temporarily
promote relief of pain.2