There is an old saying that “Laughter is the best medicine.” That concept has been researched for years and there have been reports which explain how laughter – 15 minutes of real, hard belly laughs – can be as good for you as working out for 20 minutes.

Some people who suffer from mild depression may want to include some activities in their day which will produce laughter as a means to reduce their depression. Why laughter? There are many reasons.

Many mental health practitioners believe laughter to be a great stress reliever. Research also shows that it increases endorphins, chemicals in the brain which control the reward system. This means you begin to feel good or feel pleasure when you laugh, similar to the effect you get when using drugs.

Laughter can also lower the hormone levels which may cause stress or a weakened immune state. It moves your body, both internally and externally, increases blood flow, and gives you an energy boost. Your lungs, liver, pancreas, intestines, heart, and brain are all beneficially affected by it. All-in-all, you simply feel better when you laugh and for some time afterwards.

Here are some of the physical ways your body is affected by a good belly laugh:

* It relaxes your muscles for as much as 45 minutes after a good laugh
* It boosts immunity which may reduce your chances of getting sick
* It lowers your stress hormones which makes it easier to relax
* It decreases pain which may enable people to sleep or rest
* It helps prevent heart disease by increasing blood circulation
* It improves your mood which is a benefit to those suffering from mild depression

Laughter can also improve the social aspect of our life. If we laugh easily, people are more likely to want to be around us because we’re fun. Being able to laugh freely may also strengthen our relationships, help diffuse conflict, and enhance our ability to work in a team.

Laughter is something most children enjoy without reserve. Unfortunately, as we get older that tendency to find humor in daily situations wanes and we begin to feel stress. Maybe it’s time to laugh your blues away as a means to reduce symptoms of depression. Since laughter is seen as medicine, is anyone up for a comedy movie?

How laughter affects your body and reduces stress?

• Laughter helps reduce hypertension and lowers blood pressure.

• Laughter helps stressed people as well as those with respiratory ailments as it releases stale air from the lungs and body tissues.

• It increases blood circulation.

• It triggers the release of endorphins (also known as happy chemicals), giving you that happy and better feeling.

• It reduces neuroendocrine hormones (stress hormones) related to stress response, such as dopac, cortisol, growth hormones and epinephrine.

• Laughter is an alternative to physical activities as it is a good cardiac conditional, very helpful for people who cannot perform physical exercises.

How to maintain your sense of humor?

Be with fun people. Laughter is contagious so even if you are not in the mood to laugh, being with a group of funny and bubbly people can suck that negative energy off you and replace it with happy thoughts.

Start your day with a smile. Your body reacts according to your emotion, whether you like it or not. So whenever you’re happy, your body reacts by releasing endorphins (happy chemicals) which fuel your emotion and make you feel better. When you put a smile on your face, laughter easily follows and stress level drops significantly.

Watch funny show. Comedy sitcoms and sketches that are able to find humor to events that in real life, prove to be annoying or even tragic are an effective way to relieve stress. This is the reason why “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Friends,” and “The Office” are very popular.

Laughter Yoga. You have probably heard this before – a group of people laughing like crazy over no reason. Participating in a laughter yoga class can relieve stress and at the same time, is an effective way to bring back the giggles into your day.

Read funny emails. Forwarded emails that may appear gibberish at first can be very effective stress relievers. If you ignore emails that you find useless before, check it again and you’ll be surprised how helpful they are in relieve short-term stress.

Take a breather. When you feel that you are like in the middle of a storm and everything seems difficult and overwhelming, pause. Try to look at yourself from an eye of an observer and recognize what’s funny.