Nevertheless, my grandmother always said,  “ laughter is the best medicine” and she was right, now there is plenty of evidence to prove it.

Using laughter-provoking movies to gauge the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health, researchers at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine in Baltimore have shown for the first time that,

“Laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels.  Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.”

(Source www.umm.edu/features/laughter.htm)

Among the many benefits laughter has on the body, some of the strongest is the effect it has on the ability to deal with pain (kind of like that sore toe being jammed into the dresser at 6 a.m.), it reduces blood sugar levels and improves job performance (even if your boss doesn’t allow a good joke now and again!).

Laughter is also believed to establish or restore positive emotional bonds between two people.  Researchers believe that the major function of laughter is to bring people together, making it a key element in healthy marriages or relationships.  (That doesn’t mean laughing at your husband or boyfriend if they do something silly, rather, laugh with him!)

          What kind of laugher are you?

“ There are three laughter centers in your body—the head, chest and stomach—which produce three sounds,” explains Jill League, certified Laughter Leader of the Sherman Health Laughter League in Elgin, Illinois.  “Probably 80 percent of us are ha-has.  That seems easiest to get out.  You can change what type of laugher you are, but it can be hard if you’ve always been one way.  I think it’s genetic.”

Head:          Laugh comes from the head/mouth and

                        sounds like “he-he”.

Chest:         Laugh comes from the torso and sounds like   "ha-ha" 

Stomach:  Laugh comes from the gut and sounds like “ho-ho”.

(Source: Chicago Tribune April 17, 2005 “The ha-he-ho cure”)

Interested in making people laugh?  Why not check out one of the classes at the Second City Training Centers located in Chicago, Toronto, Las Vegas, Detroit or Los Angeles?

The Second City Training Center is a leading school for people from all walks of life to study improvisation, acting and writing. The classes, taught by professionals working in their fields, are dedicated to helping students develop their artistic voice, both individually and within an ensemble, and to provide the tools and techniques needed to express that voice.  (www.secondcity.com)

So next time you need a little inspiration in your life watch a funny movie, join a laugh league or go to an improv show and take in the laughs, it definitely could not hurt!  Just watch your toes!

"I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth." 

                                                                                       ~Quincy Jones