First of all I want to send a BIG thank you to cathy at A Life Less Sweet for selecting my blog as one of her 5 fabulous blogs!
The Fabulous Award Rules
1) You must pass it along to 5 other fabulous blogs. I am going to pick fabulous moms this time around. Here are 5 of a long list of Fabulous bloggers:
2) You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions.
Here are my five—->family, exercise, almonds, garlic and laughter.
Thanks again cathy!
Speaking of laughter……
Did you know that research has shown health benefits of laughter ranging from strengthening the immune system to controlling your eating? There’s even an emerging therapeutic field known as humor therapy to help people heal more quickly, among other things. Humor also has several important stress relieving benefits.
Stress Management Benefits of Laughter:

- Hormones: Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.
- Physical Release: Have you ever felt like you “have to laugh or I’ll cry”? Have you experienced the cleansed feeling after a good laugh? Laughter provides a physical and emotional release.
- Internal Workout: A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.
- Distraction: Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.
- Perspective: Studies show that our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a ‘threat’ or a ‘challenge’. Humor can give us a more lighthearted perspective and help us view events as ‘challenges’, thereby making them less threatening and more positive.
- Social Benefits of Laughter: Laughter connects us with others. Also, laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these benefits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more! …………………………………——> Need a laugh? <——
“The most wasted day of all is that in which we have not laughed.” -Sebastian Chamfort.………
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Sources: About.com Bennett MP, Lengacher C. Humor and Laughter May Influence Health: III. Laughter and Health OutcomesEvidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2008. Bennett MP, Zeller JM, Rosenberg L, McCann J. The Effect of Mirthful Laughter on Stress and Natural Killer Cell Activity.. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, March-April 2003. Berk LS, Felten DL, Tan SA, Bittman BB, Westengard J. Modulation of Neuroimmune Parameters During the Eustress of Humor-Associated Mirthful Laughter.. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, March 2001. Skinner N, Brewer N. The Dynamics of Threat and Challenge Appraisals Prior to Stressful Achievement Events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, September 2002.
42 users commented in " Laughter "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThanks for the laugh.
laughter is way up there on my list as a must do everyday………the immediate energy you get from a good laugh is amazing!!!
Hi. Thanks for checking in on me.
Great post, laughing is wonderful, and I know I don’t do enough of it. I’m going to plan a tickle fest with my kiddos today.
Happy holidays!
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !! Thanks so much!!!
Congratulations on your award and will be sure to get on lots of LAUGHTER today:)
Have a great week!
I once tried laughter yoga– seriously, I laughed SO hard! So fun to be silly as an adult.
did the thaw out challenge sure got my HR up and my cold blues away!thanks M!
The power and benefits of laughter are so amazing! π
Your blog is truly fabulous. Thanks for the laugh.
I’m really into the whole laughter thing. It keeps me going.
Thanks, Mark.
Congrats on the award! That photo suits your blog perfectly! hehehehe Now I just want to spend my jogging time watching funny episodes of Big Bang Theory so I can laugh as well as jog π
Do you know how many times I’ve told people about what I’ve learned on your blog? This info was great! I know laughter was important, but I didn’t know all of that about it! Thanks. :):)
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHAHAHAH
Have a great week, Mark! We’ll miss you!
Great post! very informative indeed. Thanks! ENjoy your holiday Mark!
Congrats on the award!! Laughter is indeed medicine for the soul and the body.
Mark-I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!!! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you through Healthy Living Today-and I look forward to more great advice in the future!
Wishing you and your family Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks for the laughter. I do agree with you “laughter is the best medicine”!
Congratulations on your fabulous award! Laughter is my medicine…great post and as always a great blog to visit. On my top ten list!!
Have a great holiday filled with laughter!
Thank you for the laugh! Have a terrific holiday week.
Enjoy some great laughs Mark! And have a great holiday week, you and your whole family!
That’s great regarding laughter helping you maintain your weight. I need to try that out and rent a bunch of comedies during this holiday season.
Happy Holidays to you & your family π
First congrats and second THANK YOU! This just keeps with my “unexpected outcomes” theme! I’m loving my karma right now!! What else to do but laugh? I’m eager to post about this, but first more dance rehearsals and this “little thing” called Christmas… Hope your holidays are merry!!
Huge Congrats on that AWESOME award! You really are fabulous.
THanks for the linky laughs! I needed them!
Laughter, after all, IS the best medicine. Happy Holidays my friend.
I don’t even try and get my laughs in every day. I’m sure that I must be healing something. π
Thank you! You Sooo Rock! I am back from vacation and need to laugh! Looking at the work on my desk is another cause to laugh. Now I have something to back it up with! Wishing you and yours a Wonderful Holiday!
I once read that adults laugh on average 15 times per day and a child laughs about 400 times per day. Big difference! I’m all for some laughter…daily.
Happy Holidays and have a great week!
Hope and peace for this holiday season and for a fantastic 2009!
peace,
mike
livelife365
Happy Holidays!
By the way, Mark, your blog is fabulous!
Of course you are faaabulous my dear! Happy holidays!
You sure are a Fabulous Blogger! So deserving of such an award. Anyway, just dropping by here like Santa Claus ( @ midnight) to deliver my heartfelt greetings for a Merry Christmas to you! Hope it’s a good one!
Great post Mark! Congrats on the award! I love to laugh although it seems like it’s been a while since I’ve had a good one. Time to slow down and see the world around me! There are plenty of things to laugh at with my kids as they go about their day…
Happy Holidays!
Congrats on the award. Laughing is great. I love it.
I missed giving a Christmas wish so Happy New Year.
hey mark, i never read that before that laughing can control your eating. i laugh a lot, but i don’t have as much control as i like.
I think my husband and I need to go back to watching more stand-up comedy and less CNN π
I hope you had a wonderful holiday full of fun and laughter. You are right laughter is therapeutic! π
Hope your vacation is going great!!
Happy New Year, Mark!
Mark, your blog is definitely one of my 5 favorites. You are always so insightful and inspirational. Here’s to another great year!
I love working out with my husband because we laugh the whole way through.
And going out with friends a few times a month, I find that we eat less because we are so busy laughing and those endorphins fill me up- so I totally agree that laughing can curb my appetite!
I love laughing until I cry and my belly hurts more than an ab workout. laughter – do you know adults laugh on average 15 times per day compared to a child’s 400? we have a lot of catching up to do as we get older!
Here is to a new year filled with laughter!
Thank you everybody for the your support and feedback! Have a fantastic New Year!
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