It helps protect your brain.  It helps improve your memory.  It can slash your stress levels and even boost your quality of life.  It just makes you feel good.   

You may just crack up with this simple remedy that can instantly make you feel good.  Just go ahead and have a good laugh.  Laughter really is the best medicine as new research is showing.  

 

In a laughter study, a group of seniors who watched funny videos did better on memory tests than seniors who didn't watch the videos.  The laughing seniors enjoyed measurable improvements in learning ability, memory recall and sight recognition.  Interestingly, while healthy seniors saw improvements, the biggest improvement went to the group of seniors with diabetes.

 

Another study measured the effect of laughter on blood sugar with a group of people with diabetes.  After a meal, the group attended a tedious lecture.  The next day, after eating the same meal, the group attended a comedy.  The blood sugar levels after the comedy were markedly lower than after the lecture. 

 

The focus of the benefits of laughter were first recognized in the 1979 memoir by Martin Cousin's, Anatomy of an Illness.  It reflected on positive attitude, love, faith, hope, and laughter induced by Marx Brothers films. "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep," he reported.

 

We now know that laughter can promote relaxation, lower blood pressure and ease pain.  If you need a little help, there are lots of laughter classes.  I was lucky enough to take a Laugha Yoga class in Yogaville (yes, there is such a place in Virginia!) by certified Laugh Yoga instructor, Bharata Wingham.  It was the last class I took before my departure and it was one of the most enjoyable and memorable class I had ever taken.

 

Make it a point to laugh every day.  Even if you're grumpy or having a bad day and don't feel great, force those lips to form a smile and push out a hearty laugh.  

 

    

 

 Let's have a conversation on Jill the Health Coach FB page!