“Laughter is the best medicine”. It’s a very common catch phrase that even I’ve used upon occasion. Little did I know that there’s ample scientific evidence to back this up.
Take, for example, the research done at the
University of Maryland where researchers looked at a group of 20 volunteers who were shown segments of a funny movie. One hundred and sixty measurements were taken of their hearts. These measurements revealed a 22% increase in blood flow due to an expansion of the endothelium (the inner lining of the blood vessels).
We need to be careful, though. When the same group of volunteers where shown segments from a disturbing film their blood flow decreased by 35%! It’s a good thing that I’ve never developed a taste for horror films.
All of this got me to thinking – how often do I laugh? Not nearly enough, I’ve decided. As the owner of my own business I too easily get caught up in the minutia of the day. While I consider myself by and large a happy person, I’m definitely going to make more of an effort to express this through laughter. How about you?
“When you’re smilin’… keep on smilin’
The whole world smiles with you
And when you’re laughin’… keep on laughin’
The sun comes shinin’ through.”
Louis Armstrong
