Laughter

Medicine for What Ails Us

“Laugh, and the world laughs with you:
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ain’t that the truth! Let’s consider laughter’s benefits:

> It lowers the levels of at least four stress hormones.

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects. Arnold H. Glasow

Your body cannot heal without play. Your mind cannot heal without laughter. Your soul cannot heal without joy.
Catherine Rippenger Fenwick

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> It helps regulate blood pressure.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures
in the doctor’s book. Irish Proverb

As soap is to the body, so laughter is to the soul. Jewish Proverb

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> It increases oxygenation throughout the body.

Laughter opens the lungs,
and opening the lungs ventilates the spirit. Unknown

Laughter is a bodily exercise, precious to health. Aristotle

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> It boosts the immune system by increasing the number of antibodies and T-cells, making us less likely to get coughs and colds.

Laughter serves as a blocking agent. Like a bulletproof vest, it may help protect you against the ravages of negative emotions that can assault you in disease. Norman Cousins

A good laugh recharges your battery. Unknown

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> It generates good feelings that linger long after the laughter ends.

Laughter is something that we’re born with.
It keeps the happiness alive. It helps sadness go away,
when someone or something tries to make anyone laugh.
Laughter is what we need when we all need comfort.
Unknown

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as
laughter and good humor. Charles Dickens

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> It helps us stay optimistic in difficult times.

Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on. Bob Newhart

Laughter lets me relax. It’s the equivalent of taking a deep breath,
letting it out and saying, ‘This, too, will pass’. Odette Pollar

A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing. Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laughter is God’s hand on the shoulder of a troubled world.
Bettenell Huntznicker

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What makes you laugh? Loud, long and every time? TV shows, movies, jokes, etc.? Please share in the comments. We need all the help we can get to find laughter these days!