Can laughter improve your immune system- it’s no laughing matter!! ????

A good sense of humour may not cure all ailments, but data is mounting about the positive things, laughter can do.

Short-term benefits

A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:
• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
Long-term effects
Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:
• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.

The late Norman Cousins is perhaps the best-known proponent of laughter as medicine. Around age 50, Cousins was diagnosed with a connective tissue disease and a condition known as ankylosing spondylitis. In fact, doctors told him that he had only a one-in-500 chance of recovery.

Soon after, Cousins discovered that he felt less pain and fewer symptoms while he was enjoying something that made him laugh. Therefore, he prescribed himself regular doses of laughter, brought on by watching episodes of Candid Camera and old Marx Brothers movies. As a result, Cousins lived for another 25 years after his diagnosis. Furthermore, he began to study the medical effects of laughter with the support of California University Hospital.

Bottom line, why not watch a few short videos that make you laugh throughout the day, and then pay attention to how much better you feel?