Making time to laugh and play can boost your health. Experts say that laughter increases endorphins, strengthens your immune system, and sends extra oxygen coursing through your veins. Find out why some researchers believe laughing is as good as a mild workout.

Burns Calories

Laughing for 10 to 15 minutes raises energy expenditure, increases heart rate, and can burn up to 40 calories. However, it’s not a weight-loss method. “People can’t eat at McDonald’s and then expect to laugh away their lunch,” says Dr. Maciej Buchowski, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University. Even so, a few calories every day translates to a few pounds a year—so keep those laughs coming!

Causes “Runner’s High”

Laughing increases positive endorphins, reduces stress and strengthens the immune system. Even just anticipating something funny increases anti-viral, anti-tumour defences, reports Dr. Lee Berk of the School of Medicine at Loma Linda University. The benefits of humour can last up to 24 hours—this may be why we say “laughter is the best medicine.”

Increases Job Satisfaction

Humour improves communication, creativity and overall performance in the workplace, says Dr. Chris Robert. He’s a psychology professor and researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia who studied how laughter affects employees. He says, “The ability to appreciate humour, the ability to laugh and make other people laugh, actually has physiological effects on the body that cause people to become more bonded.”

Increases Hope and Self-Worth

Watching just 15 minutes of a comedy show can alleviate worries about health or career. Texas A&M psychiatrist David H. Rosen found that a chuckle can replace negative thoughts with positive ones and help formulate a “plan of attack” for problems. This in turn increases feelings of self-worth, which makes overcoming obstacles even easier. 、

Protects Against Heart Disease

“Research suggests that a good sense of humour wards off heart attacks,” says psychologist Steve Wilson. “Laughter dilates blood vessels so blood flows more freely. Humour was a significant positive addition to standard cardiac rehabilitation.” Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Centre for Preventative Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Centre reports that laughing reduces the fat and cholesterol build-up in the coronary arteries. He says, “The old saying that ‘laughter is the best medicine’ definitely appears to be true when it comes to protecting your heart.”

Eliminates “Us Versus Them” Thinking

Comedy makes us more inclusive of others and helps us see the big picture. Happiness and humour reduces narrow-minded perspectives, says University of Michigan psychology researcher Kareem Johnson. Laughing can slash bias and bring people together, which strengthens our work, home, and school relationships.

Improves Counseling Sessions

Therapists who laugh with their clients increase feelings of connection and bonding, reports Dr. Carl Marci, the director of Social Neuroscience at Massachusetts General Hospital. Psychologist Steve Wilson adds, “Laughter is thought to be one of the earliest ways that humans signalled support and ‘it is safe to relax here.’ Good-natured shared laughter between counsellor and client can foster trust, rapport and reduced defensiveness.”

Helps Kids Tolerate Pain

Cartoons can help children cope with painful procedures, such as needles or visits to the dentist. In October 2007, Dr. Margaret Stuber from the University of California’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre found humour helped kids tolerate pain longer. In her study, the young patients who watched funny movies still felt the pain of a standardized pain test (in this case, dipping their hands into icy cold water), but they could endure it better because they were distracted.

Improves Classroom Interactions

Research shows that humour facilitates student discussions and increases course enjoyment. Mark Shatz, a psychology professor at Ohio University, found that top ten lists, jokes, and cartoons—all related to the course material—increased academic performance and students’ level of participation. “They expect us [teachers] to be boring and dull. We don’t have to be funny, but the attempt tells students that we’re trying to make the course more interesting.”

Strengthens the Immune System

“Stress hormones are reduced during laughter, allowing the immune cells to function better,” says psychologist Steve Wilson. “Laughing also promotes an oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange and clears airways. Muscles and joints are flexed and stretched, promoting muscle tone.” He says that by some estimates, laughter is a human ability that is about four million years old. “We need to be using it, not stifling it.”

笑一笑，十年少。专家声称，大笑可以提高内啡肽水平、强化免疫系统、增加血管中的氧气含量。有些研究者相信大笑和适量运动有同样的功效，让我们来一探究竟。

燃烧卡路里

大笑10-15分钟可以增加能量消耗、提高心跳、还可以燃烧高达40卡路里的能量。不过，这并不是种减肥的捷径。“你不能吃了麦当劳，期待着笑一笑就能消耗掉他们的午饭。”Vanderbilt大学医学教授Maciej Buchowski博士如是说。既便如此，每天几个卡路里，积少成多，一年就是几磅的体重——所以，尽情大笑吧！

造成“运动兴奋”

大笑可以提高内啡肽水平、减少压力、强化免疫系统。Loma Linda大学医学院的Lee Berk博士报道说，即使只是想想有趣的事情，也会人体增强抗病毒、抗肿瘤的防御机能。幽默的好处可以持续作用24个小时——这可能就是为什么我们说“大笑是最好的良药”。

提高工作满意度

Chris Robert博士说，在工作场合，幽默可以促进沟通、创造力以及总体的工作表现。Chris Robert博士是Missouri-Columbia大学的教授，研究笑如何影响员工。他说：“人们欣赏幽默、开怀大笑、让别人笑的能力对于人体的生理影响，实际能够促使人们更加团结。”

增加希望和自我价值

只是看15分钟的喜剧就能减轻对健康和工作的担心。Texas A&M 的精神病学家David H. Rosen发现，笑可以把负面想法转换正正面想法，同时帮助组织一套“迎难而上”的方案。进而促进了自我价值感，这让克服难关更加容易。

预防心脏病

“研究发现良好的幽默感可以击退心脏病突发。”心理学家Steve Wilson说，“大笑使得血管扩张，让血液流动更加顺畅。幽默对于常规的心血管复健，是一种明显有益的补充。

减少“我们vs.他们”的想法

喜剧可以让我们对他人更有包容性，帮助我们看到全面的情况。密歇根大学的心理研究者Kareem Johnson说，愉快和幽默会淡化狭隘的观念。笑声可以消弭误解，把人们团结在一起，这能够强化我们在工作、家庭和学校中的人际关系。

提高咨询过程

马萨诸塞州综合医院社会神经科学主任Carl Marci博士说，那些和来访者一起笑的咨询师会让来访者感觉更亲密。心理学家Steve Wilson补充道：“笑声被认为是人们表示支持、表达“在这里放松很安全”最容易的一种方式。咨询师和来访者之间友好的一起笑，可以促进信任、更加融洽，还能减少阻抗。”

帮助孩子忍受疼痛

卡通可以帮助孩子克服那些疼痛的事情，比如打针或者去看牙医。2007年10月，加州大学Jonsson 综合癌症中心的Margaret Stuber博士发现，幽默可以帮孩子更长时间地忍受疼痛。在她的研究中，虽然那些看搞笑电影的小患者还是能感觉到标准化的疼痛测试中的疼痛刺激（在实验中，孩子们要把手放进冰水里），但是他们能坚持得更久，因为他们分心了。

促进课堂互动

研究表明，幽默可以促进学生讨论还能提高对课程的兴趣。俄亥俄大学的心理学教授Mark Shatz发现，十大排名、玩笑和卡通——与课程有关的——可以提高学业表现以及学生的参与度。“他们认为我们（老师）就该无聊、木讷。我们不必很搞笑，但是这样的尝试让学生觉得我们在试着让课程更有趣。”

增强免疫系统

“笑的时候压力荷尔蒙会降低，这让免疫细胞能更好工作，”心理学家Steve Wilson说，“大笑还能促进氧气/二氧化碳交换，并且清洁呼吸道。肌肉和关节可以得到放松和伸展，强化肌肉结构。”他说，根据估计，大笑作为人类的一种能力，已经有四百万年的历史了。“我们需要使用它，而不是扼杀它。”