Life Laughter and Tears

Life Laughter and Tears

Your boss pops into your office, and instead of that lengthy report that should be on your screen, she spies a YouTube video of some obscure, out-of-this-world Japanese game show. Mortification would be your typical response in the somewhat uncomfortable situation.

But if you both knew that cracking up makes you smarter, more creative, and more productive, you'd tilt the screen his way, turn up the volume, and get your giggles on. Laughter, as it turns out, nearly rivals exercise when it comes to health and brain-boosting powers.

Laughter keeps the doctor away. Thousands of studies all over the globe report that giggles can decrease arterial stiffness. They also found that laughter raised levels of disease-fighting hormones by a good percentage.

In fact, it even increases circulation about as much as a treadmill session. But more than that, a good chuckle sharpens your thinking. Scientists are pretty sure that amusement stimulates the brain's reward center. When people get a joke, a portion of your brain becomes active.

This is the same area that's triggered when you eat chocolate. There's evidence that this circuit pumps out dopamine, a brain-signaling chemical that stimulates the frontal lobe, the place where you do most of your mental heavy lifting. Even students who are happy score better in an exam. Amused people are significantly more likely to focus and are more able to see the bigger picture of things.

Most importantly, laughter enhances your social life. Goofing around can help you warm up to a new buddy. The shenanigans that you do in your everyday life can elicit giggles from the people that surround you. You feel closer when you share certain humorous situations. So, it's time to take life in stride and see the brighter side of things. People who joke around more often tend to read other people better, and that's a fact.

But just because you need to laugh often, this does not necessarily equal to hiding your pains. You must realize that holding back your tears is no longer considered a sign of weakness. Crying is a cleansing process. Before you can heal following a negative experience, you first need to acknowledge your fear, pain, grief, and vulnerability.

Life presents you with your own share of ups and downs, and it's time that you live in the moment. There's a significant increase in the number, type, and amount of stress hormones released in your bodies prior to crying. Tears contain stress hormones, and you know how these can badly damage your body's systems.

Crying, then, is a natural and essential biological function that results in the elimination of stress hormones and possibly alleviates stress-related health problems. You simply feel better after you let your tears flow. So, go ahead, grab that tissue, and have a good cry.

Life Laughter and Tears