Studies have shown children laugh 3x more than adults! What happens in between childhood and adulthood that makes laugh less often? Is it the stress of adulthood or the innocence of children? Perhaps it is the pain or challenges we face or perhaps it is a social phenomenon. Regardless of the underlying reason, there are tremendous benefits from laughter to positively impact your life as a whole.
“Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” Victor Borge
Physiology
First and foremost, our moods can impact our physiology and vice versa. It is important to monitor our physiological response in couples therapy to help communicate the full picture of our experiences! A tight chest can come from anger or sadness and feeling “light” or being “able to breathe” tends to happen more when we have effective stress management.
Laughter can then be used in a powerful way to impact our moods and physiology. Here’s how your body changes when you laugh:
- Increased oxygen intake. Over time, increased oxygen levels boost cell growth and accelerate bone, skin, and muscle regeneration. As my trainer always said, “Oxygen is how your body recovers”.
- Muscle stimulation: Mainly, your heart, lungs, and core muscles. When you laugh, your heart rate tends to increase before it decreases which can be a relaxing response for your body.
- Endorphins are released by the brain: Specifically altering your dopamine and serotonin activity.
- Improved circulation: The combination of heart rate and soothed muscles can stimulate your circulation, and therefore, decrease your physical tension.
- Immune system functioning: Stress negatively impacts your immune system and laughter can decrease stress.
- Reduced pain: One study that I found interesting found that pain tolerance was greater among people who watched a comedy, than those who watched a drama or a control group (research by Neuroscientist Lauri Nummenmaa can be found here).
Laughter can positively impact your personal mood and can strengthen your connections with others. Laughter brings many gifts to your relationship to increase your friendship and your intimacy. When these positive hormones and endorphins are released, your mood can often improve – now, think about how powerful that becomes in a shared experience!
A friendship is an important foundation for relationships, which includes feeling known by one another and shared experiences. Laughter can be harmful when used in embarrassing situations, so remember, this is about shared laughter. When we laugh together, not only do we get the amazing hormone releases, we get that amazing feeling together! The shared experience helps communicate that we see the world in the same way. Laughter together can help strengthen your bond.
Remember: Friendship is tied to deeper intimacy! Take a few moments to think about how laughing together is intimate and can lead to greater intimacy in your relationship.
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Together, let’s create a haven of laughter, learning, and shared joy!