List Change - Laughter is the Best

For hundreds of years, we've known that 'Laughter is the best medicine'. Laughter makes you feel good for a reason. The physiological effects on your body are amazing. For example:

* Laughter reduces levels of certain stress hormones. It provides a safety valve that shuts off the flow of stress hormones and the fight-or-flight compounds that come into action in times of trouble, or hostility or rage.

* Laughter boosts the immune system because when you're in a state of mirth, natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase. It basically brings balance to all the components of the immune system.

* Laughter can be a total body workout! Do you often feel exhausted after a bout of contagious giggling? This is because you have just had an aerobic workout.

* Blood pressure is lowered and there is an increase in vascular blood flow, and an increase in oxygenation of the blood. Oxygenation of the blood enables the body to carry on healing activities for itself.

* There also has been some belief that laughter prevents some life-threatening diseases such as heart disease. That's because anger and fear (two emotions that often lead to heart attack) are completely eliminated while you are laughing.