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StumbleUponHad a good laugh today? Laughter reduces stress, improves memory and helps keep our hearts healthy. The ability to laugh is hardwired into our systems, and new research shows that it’s not only good for us, it’s contagious. There’s a reason sitcoms and stand-up are funnier when we’re in a group: When we see someone laugh, our brain seems to activate “mirror neurons” that send us into the same fit of laughter.
A little lightheartedness can lead to a more positive approach in everyday situations, says Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a Stanford University psychologist. She teaches guided laughter, a group technique in which you prep your body for the physical work of laughter to reap the benefits: joy and social interaction. “All the efforts we put into reducing stress we ought to put into laughing,” says McGonigal.Humor therapy could one day be a part of preventive care. A good giggle helps you:
Scorch calories. Laughing for 10 to 15 minutes increases your heart rate by 10% to 20%, which means you can burn an extra 10 to 40 calories a day. Over a year, that can add up to a four-pound weight loss.
Ease pain. In a UCLA study funded by Rx Laughter, a group that promotes research on the connection between humor and health, experts discovered that children tolerated pain better than usual when watching a funny program or video.
Stay healthy. Humor increases the production and effectiveness of natural killer cells that stomp out germs. These cells are elevated for at least 12 hours after just an hour of watching, say, Will Ferrell run around in his underwear.
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