Laughing is effective against stress

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Extract from the article: «While as children we laugh up to 400 times a day, it is exceptional to do so only ten times as an adult», reports the French Federation of Cardiology. And yet all the studies show the benefits of laughter on physical and mental health, and particula

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«While as children we laugh up to 400 times a day, it is exceptional to do so only ten times as an adult», reports the French Federation of Cardiology. And yet all the studies show the benefits of laughter on physical and mental health, and particularly on stress.

Stress has a negative effect on cardiovascular disease. It can even lead to myocardial infarction.Hence the importance of preventing it, if not managing it, by laughing. Its benefits have been demonstrated time and time again.

French neurologist Henri Rubinstein, a specialist in laughter and the functional exploration of the nervous system, showed that the association between stressful events and subsequent stress symptoms was moderated by the frequency of laughter experienced at the time of the stressful event. Laughter tends to stabilise the heart rate and reduce blood pressure. Laughter increases the amount of air we breathe, cleanses our lungs and improves blood oxygenation. What's more, it reduces the production of cortisol, the main stress hormone, giving us an immediate feeling of well-being. What's more, laughter is a wonderful way of connecting with others: it facilitates human relationships, reduces aggression and makes situations less dramatic. So don't miss an opportunity to laugh every day.

For Professor Gérard Ostermann, psychotherapist-analyst and internist (France), laughter is an ally in the fight against anxiety and stress. Not only is laughter a powerful painkiller, it is also a powerful antidepressant.Laughter increases the production of white blood cells, strengthening the immune system, while stress reduces its effectiveness. Among other things, laughter relaxes the muscles and oxygenates the brain, helping us to relax better.

«The more people laugh, or when they tend to laugh, or people who laugh very often, for example, will be less inclined to have depressive episodes.There have been some fairly serious studies to show that fifty years ago, people laughed a lot more than they do today; pandemic perhaps or something else?What is certain is that it is true that laughter will, in a way, ward off stress and chase away depression through mechanisms linked to the neurotransmitters we produce, acetylcholine, dopamine and serotonin, which is basically almost the neuromediator of zenitude.So effectively, we act on all these parameters, on our entire cerebral micro-environment, and a caricatural example is pain.Laughing relieves pain.And why is that?It's a real endorphin pump, and if you laugh for more than ten minutes, your perception of pain is considerably reduced», explains Professor Gérard Ostermann.The experts agree: we need to laugh more to beat stress and live longer.

William O.