We all say that life is hard and the heart is very bitter.
can...... Seriously -
The harder it is, the more you don't forget to smile
Because, when you start grinning, your body is quietly changing.
(Source: giphy)
Have you ever noticed that every time you laugh, there is a period of calm and a feeling of comfort?
This is because the moment you laugh, your body has undergone a hurricane-like change!
Researchers at the Mayo School of Medicine summarized these changes[1]:
Stimulates the brain to produce endorphins
When we laugh, our blood pressure rises, our pulse accelerates, the body inhales more oxygen, stimulates the cardiopulmonary system and muscle tissue metabolism, and also stimulates the brain to secrete a neurotransmitter called endorphins, making people feel happy.
Affects blood pressure
When you laugh, your heart rate and blood pressure will rise, and after laughing, your heart rate and blood pressure will decrease, resulting in a unique and pleasant experience.
Relieves stress
Laughter stimulates the circulatory system, helps muscles relax, and relieves tension caused by stress.
Life is already so hard, why not try the lowest cost to get instant happiness and relaxation
After all, all it needs is a rise in the corners of its mouth.
Laughter is not only the moment of happiness and relaxation, but also many long-term benefits.
A person who loves to laugh for a long time, like a person who exercises for a long time, brings benefits to your body in every way [2].
1. Enhance immunity
First, let's talk about changes in immunity.
Mayo Medical School believes that regular laughter causes the brain to secrete a variety of neuropeptides, strengthen immunity, and prevent various stress-related diseases [1].
Scholars at Western Kentucky University in Kentucky have also studied the effects of laughter on the immune system [3], and found that the higher the degree of response to humor (the stronger the laughter), the stronger the activity of natural killer cells, that is, the stronger the immune system.
At home during the holidays, pick a funny variety show, and unconsciously improve immunity in the laughter - think it is really a good thing to make a steady profit
2. Weight loss
And if you've been losing weight lately, it's even more fun to laugh, which may be a way to help you burn calories.
A study by Vanderbilt University in the United States found that laughing increases energy expenditure by 10% to 20%, which means that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can consume 10 to 40 kJ (2 to 10 kcal) of energy [4].
Of course, it's unrealistic to expect to lose weight just by laughing, after all... At this scale, if you want to lose 1 pound, you need to laugh for 12 hours.
3. Prevent heart disease
In addition, laughing regularly may also help prevent heart disease.
A study by scholars at the University of Tokyo in Japan surveyed 20,934 people aged 65 and older and found that even after excluding the effects of high blood lipids, high blood pressure and depression, people who rarely laughed had a 1.2 times higher risk of heart disease than those who laughed regularly.
Indirectly, this suggests that laughter, as an independent influencing factor, may be associated with a reduced risk of heart disease [5].
4. Lower blood sugar
In addition to the benefits to the heart, laughter's change in blood sugar should not be underestimated.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan had 19 patients with type 2 diabetes watch a regular course and a comedy talk show, and found that after watching a comedy talk show, the patients' postprandial blood sugar improved significantly (that is, it rose less than fasting blood sugar) [6].
5. Relieve pain
Of course, the same is laughter, there are different types.
For example, you can enjoy happiness by yourself;
You can also laugh out loud with your friends.
In contrast, having friends join may make the benefits of laughter more magnified.
In a small trial of 35 people, researchers at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom found that laughing with friends also significantly increased the threshold for pain, with both "friends" and "laughter" being indispensable [7].
Laughter not only improves physical health, it also improves our mental condition. Especially when the mood is depressed, laughter is the best special medicine.
Researchers at Loma Linda University in California found that laughter can reduce the content of three stress-related hormones - cortisol, epinephrine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid by 39%, 70% and 38% respectively, which means that laughter will alleviate a series of physiological reactions caused by stress, such as increased blood pressure, increased heartbeat and respiratory rate.
The mechanism of this miraculous phenomenon is that laughter triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body calm down and release stress [8,9].
A prospective study in South Korea found that "laughter therapy" can significantly reduce one's self-score for anxiety, depression, and stress [10].
In other words, you only need to smile to be less anxious and depressed.
What's more, laughing will also make you more attractive and able to communicate better with those around you[1].
If you smile a lot, in your work and life, other people will give you more positive feedback.
Because laughter has so many benefits, it has even been seen as an effective treatment for cancer.
According to the National Institutes of Health Cancer Research Center, "laughter therapy" is a therapy recognized by it, including clown performances, comedy movies, books and so on.
It can help relieve pain and stress and make life better [11].
Even in the face of terrible cancer, laughter has a unique effect, so when facing the difficulties in the work life in front of you, don't be stingy with smiles.
A new year has begun, and everything has a new beginning.
If you feel that there are too many things in life that are not easy, you must smile and face it, with hope, and pain shows that you are walking on the uphill road of life
If your friend has been in a bad mood lately, you might as well forward this article to him and let him know that no matter how difficult it is, there is always someone with him
No matter when, hope and the love of those around us are the driving force for us to go down.
And a smile is hope
Special Author: Zhang Sifan
Master of Translational Medicine at Imperial College London
Review expert: Luo Tianming
Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University
bibliography
[1]https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
[2]https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter
[3] Bennett MP, Lengacher C. Humor and Laughter May Influence Health IV. Humor and Immune Function. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009;6(2):159-164. doi:10.1093/ecam/nem149
[4] Buchowski, M. S., Majchrzak, K. M., Blomquist, K., Chen, K. Y., Byrne, D. W., & Bachorowski, J. A. (2007). Energy expenditure of genuine laughter. International journal of obesity (2005), 31(1), 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803353
[5] Hayashi K, Kawachi I, Ohira T, Kondo K, Shirai K, Kondo N. Laughter is the Best Medicine? A Cross-Sectional Study of Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Japanese Adults. J Epidemiol. 2016;26(10):546-552. doi:10.2188/jea. JE20150196
[6] Hayashi, K., Hayashi, T., Iwanaga, S., Kawai, K., Ishii, H., Shoji, S., & Murakami, K. (2003). Laughter lowered the increase in postprandial blood glucose. Diabetes care, 26(5), 1651–1652. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.26.5.1651
[7] Dunbar RI, Baron R, Frangou A, et al. Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold. Proc Biol Sci. 2012;279(1731):1161-1167. doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.1373
[8] Kaplan, M. How to laugh away stress. Nature (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2008.741
[9] Tan, S. A., Tan, L. G., Lukman, S. T., & Berk, L. S. (2007). Humor, as an adjunct therapy in cardiac rehabilitation, attenuates catecholamines and myocardial infarction recurrence. Advances in mind-body medicine, 22(3-4), 8–12.
[10] Kim SH, Kim YH, Kim HJ. Laughter and Stress Relief in Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:864739. doi:10.1155/2015/864739
[11]https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/laughter-therapy
Editors: Zhang Xiaoyi, Wu Jiaxiang, Zhang Liang
Typesetting: Han Ningning | Proofreader: Wu Yihe
Operations: Li Yongmin | Coordinator: Wu Wei