What can laughter do?:
- Lower blood pressure.
- Increase vascular blood flow and oxygenation of the blood.
- Give a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles.
- Reduce certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
- Increase the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells.
- Defend against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds–by immunoglobulon in saliva.
- Increase memory and learning; in a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increased test scores.
- Improve alertness, creativity, and memory.
Humor and creativity work in similar ways, says humor guru William Fry, M.D., of Stanford University–by creating relationships between two disconnected items, you engage the whole brain.
