Laughter is Good Medicine

Laughter may be better medicine than many of us realize. Have you noticed how laughter takes your mind off your problems and lifts your spirits in minutes. Suddenly, the world is a better place and you feel better being in it. Seeing a comedian or listening to something funny is good for your emotional health.

Believe it or not, laughter helps you physically as well as emotionally for example—in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. I ran across a study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine where researchers determined: “Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of the blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.”

Dr. Miller, MD, Director of Preventative Cardiology at the University Medical Center explains why this could be significant in regard to wellness: “The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

Most of us know that heart disease is one of the leading causes of death. So laughter may very well be one of our best prescriptions for health. Anybody know any good jokes?