A Time to Laugh

The song, Happy by Pharrell Williams, makes me smile, snap my fingers, and jump (as close as I get to rhythmic movement). I have a line of TV shows I like to view just because they make me giggle hysterically. The time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4) is important to your health.  

According to Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University of California, there are seven reasons why laughter is essential to a person’s overall health:

1.   Laughter lowers blood pressure. 

2.   Laughter reduces stress hormones.

3.   Laughter tones abdominal muscles.

4.   Laughter provides a cardio (heart) workout.

5.   Laughter improves the immune system, and activates T cells.

6.   Laughter triggers pain killers (endorphins) in the body.

7.   Laughter improves an over-all sense of well being throughout the body.

I believe laughter makes you a happier, more grateful person overall. Think about this for just a moment, most people tend to gravitate towards an individual who has a more positive, happy outlook on life. You can be the kind of person you always wanted to be. The advice (you need to take to heart to do this) is summarized in the 1940’s song, Accentuate the Positive (performed by a variety of artists). “You’ve got to accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative. Latch on to the affirmative. Don’t mess with Mister In-Between.”