Laughing Until It Hurts Can't Hurt

When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt? Split a gut? Farted while laughing? Have you done that lately? Didn't think so. Neither have we! (I should speak only for myself!)

Last insane laughter, I'm pretty sure, was at a movie but am equally sure I wouldn't remember which one. Maybe we were playing the "Ha-Ha" game where participants lay on the floor, each with his/her head on the tummy of someone else. First one says "Ha!" Second person says "Ha-Ha" and so on. We have not ever made it to "Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha" without gagging. Why does it work? Don't know but we need to do more of it. I promise you, this was not a "drinking game"!

Why is laughter so important? Let's ask an expert.

According to www.medfriendly.com founder, neuropsychologist Dr. Dominic Carone "Thinking of this (insane laughter) probably made you smile because it is not too often that we laugh this hard and such events are remembered as positively unique. Think back to how you felt after such laughter. At a bare minimum, you had to have felt pretty happy. Why? Because laughter actually increases the amount of endorphins released in the body, which is a type of chemical that makes us feel good. Laughter also decreases the amount of epinipherine in the body, which is a stress hormone.

Now, I realize we all can't have intense belly laughs every week, let alone every day. However, we can all add some increased laughter to our lives each week to make us feel happier. There are some people who go an entire week without laughing once. The best way to increase the laughter in your life is to do something that would actively promote laughter. This includes watching a sitcom, watching a funny movie, reading a funny book, listening to a funny radio show, spending time with a friend who makes you laugh, etc. It doesn't have to be every day, bust just once a week. For me, I try to listen to my favorite radio show once a week because it always makes me laugh, and every once in a while, this will actually elicit a hardy belly laugh."

Copy and Paste this into your browser: Proof that laughter is good for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dj298NRTO8