5 things you did not know about laughter

pulse-ghana admin

November 5, 2017 10:51 AM

You might get a chuckle from this trivia about one of our commonest forms of expression and communication.

For something which we do day in and day out ,it is often a grossly overlooked phenomenon. Not only has it a host of benefits-not least of which is keeping the blues away, it’s also one of the least understood of human abilities.

Here are 10 surprising facts about laughter which will at least put a smile on your face.

1. Laughter is innate

Laughing is an inbuilt reaction, which usually develops in infants around three to four months of age. It is entirely genetic. Laughter is a physiological response that activates a plethora of beneficial reactions in the body. It is a whole body process, which has many benefits for our health and well being.

2.Laughteris Relaxing

Laughter relaxes and nerve-calming. It releases our mind, re-balances us and our grip on life. You shake off a whole baggage of tension, worries and frustrations that weigh us down.

Laughing reduces the size of our fears and renews us to the core. It stabilises situations and creates distance between us and our problems. It brings fresh perspectives and renewed energy to old habits.

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3.Laughter makes you attractive

Laughter relaxes facial muscles and and gives it a cute and firm appeal. Women generally prefer men with a good sense of humor. This is why most men, of course instinctively know this as they try hard to crack jokes at a date-often to disastrously comic effect.

4. It’s contagious

We’ve all been there: when you’re among friends and in the mood, there comes a point when you would all laugh at a passing fly. It’s pretty much like yawning.

Studies have shown that we yawn when someone else yawns as a sign of empathy. This basically means that it’s a social interaction. Same goes for laughter.

5.LaughingBurns Calories

Laughing from studies shows that energy is rises and heart rate by about 10 percent to 20 percent. What this means is that you could burn about 10-40 calories by laughing for 10 to 15 minutes.

While this sounds good in theory, you’d have to laugh hardly for an hour or more for this calorie burning to have any meaningful effect.

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pulse-ghana admin