Dancing is good medicine, but laughter is truly the best medicine.
Science has literally proven that only 15 minutes of laughter can increase the level of pain tolerance by up to 10 percent. Through the involuntary, repeated muscular exertion that comes from exhaling without drawing a breath (aka laughing), the body becomes exhausted (much like through running) and endorphins are triggered. These endorphins, which are opiate-like chemicals, then flood the brain – dulling neurological signals of physical pain.
In addition to easing pain, laughter has been proven to stimulate organs, activate and relieve the stress response, sooth tension, improve the immune system, and increase personal satisfaction.
So get on board with the giggles – make some prank calls to your friends (my personal fave), treat yourself to a night at the comedy club, or if you’re really adventurous, enroll in a laughter yoga class. A joke a day takes the pain away.
Filed under: Pain
