A Bloody Good Time
Laughter causes the inner lining of blood vessels to expand, increasing blood flow. Such vasodilation, also caused by aerobic activity, may be the result of a heaving diaphragm or the release of endorphins.
Milking It for Laughs
Breast-feeding mothers have even more reason to laugh. Watching a funny movie increases levels of the relaxing hormone melatonin in breast milk. And drinking the milk reduces allergic reactions in infants with atopic eczema.
Sweet Relief
Got diabetes? Some gentle ribbing could save your kidneys. Laughter increases their receptors for certain proteins that prevent cellular damage in diabetics. It also curbs the spikes in blood glucose after meals, either through muscle use or changes in neuroendocrine levels.
Wait For It...
Just the expectation of laughter can work wonders. Blood drawn from people right before they watched a comedy showed a beta-endorphin increase of 27 percent and a human growth hormone boost of 87 percent. Endorphins help the immune system, while HGH is good for muscles, bones, and internal organs.
Laugh One, Laugh All
A contagious laugh promotes bonding, reduces stress, and spreads the wealth of laughter's physical benefits. And we're programmed to capitalize on it: Just hearing laughter activates neurons in the premotor cortex that prepare the face to smile.
Laugh, and you might keep your arteries healthy. Why? Cracking up relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow -- the exact opposite of what happens when you're tense. When people with normal blood pressure watch a funny movie, their blood flow increases by about 20 percent. But when they watch an intense, violent film, they get stressed out, their blood vessels constrict and their blood flow decreases by about 35 percent. (So much for last year's grim Oscar winner!)
Another reason to laugh all you can: Bum moods increase cortisol levels, the bad-boy stress hormone that increases fat accumulation in your belly and makes your kidneys retain salt and water, which boosts your blood pressure. So whether you're renting a comedy or catching a rerun of an old Lucy show, pay zero attention to anyone who says, "Get serious."
If you've seen all the humor flicks you can handle for the moment, a funny friend is at least as good -- and might even help keep you slim: One study has found that a good chortle increases the number of calories you burn. The researchers estimate that if you spend 10 to 15 minutes a day laughing, you can burn up to 40 extra calories. Not a ton, but hey, every little waist-shrinking bit adds up.
All of which explains one of our favorite health factors: Frequent laughter can make your RealAge -- that's your biological, not your birthday age -- up to eight years younger.
Cập nhập lần cuối cùng lúc 23:00h ngày 21 tháng 1 2012
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