AOK Today #8 - Laugh

AOK Today: Make some time today to laugh

"Laughter is a bodily exercise, precious for health" Aristotle

How It Works: Now this is the type of exercise I can get on board with! Laughter has shown physiological, psychological, social, and quality-of-life benefits across all ages. As a scientific review I recently read reported, "laughter is practically lacking in contraindications." (lol). It continued..."Therapeutic efficacy of laughter is mainly derived from spontaneous laughter (triggered by external stimuli or positive emotions) and self-induced laughter (triggered by oneself at will), both occurring with or without humor. The brain is not able to distinguish between these types; therefore, it is assumed that similar benefits may be achieved with one or the other." Whether you literally make yourself laugh, or some thing spontaneously makes you laugh - the effect is the same on the brain. There doesn't even need be humour involved! It's also contagious (laughter and positive emotion - think classroom giggle fits) so really you're doing your whole community a favour! Make time to fake laugh, watch your favourite comedic show, go to standup comedy (live/online), speak to a funny friend, a video of people laughing.

Why I love it: It just feels so good. Sometimes memories of people laughing can make me laugh - memories of my family and I absolutely losing it during a Mr Bean movie, or my grandma laughing so hard she couldn't finish her joke. "There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour" - Charles Dickens

Happy Giving |XOX|