We know that laughter is one of the best ways to relieve stress, but it has many other benefits as well. It is, as Norman Cousins once said, likened to internal jogging for the inner organs. She is passionate about her work and delights in sharing her knowledge in a deliciously fun and upbeat manner with any audience.ca. Since the body cannot differentiate between simulated and stimulated laughing, it may feel awkward at first to pretend to laugh. With his Physicians permission, Norman moved out of the hospital and into a motel. Even for those of us who work in difficult environments, maintaining our sense of humour and being able to laugh at the challenges that face us daily, will help us to be happier people at the end of each day. To learn more about Carole, Robert Provine's book, Laughter ? a Scientific Investigation, documents that even Chimps laugh, although with different stimuli. Remember, "if you're happy, tell your face". He made the happy discovery that ten minutes of belly laughter gave him 2 hours of pain free sleep. In his book, Anatomy of an Illness, Norman Cousins, a respected journalist, wrote about how he dealt with the diagnosis of ankolysing spondilitis, an arthritic condition that left him bedridden and in horrible pain.When I explain that, as a laughter therapist, I teach people how to laugh, I get many interesting responses. But with a willingness to step out of one's comfort zone, simulated laughter soon turns into genuine guffaaaaaws. The title I chose for this article makes me smile. It can help to lower blood pressure; it increases endorphins (the body's natural morphine), serotonin levels increase and other important stress fighting chemicals are released as well. A positive attitude will not only help us to feel better, plus have a beneficial effect on our general health, but it will have a wonderful spin-off effect on the people around us.While studying the effects of laughter, Dr. I am fond of saying that "laughter begets laughter", and once you get used to that idea, you might be surprised at how much you can achieve by smiling and laughing your way through each day.
