It’s World Laughter Day on 7 May and we’re all for a good chuckle. Want to join in? Find out why laughter really is the best medicine   

Charles Dickens wrote: “There’s nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.” So this World Laughter Day, take the opportunity to have your best wheezing, snorting, side-aching, tear-streaming, and bathroom-sprinting moments! Laughter has more benefits than you think… Read on to discover just how good a deep, loud laugh can be for overall health and well-being.  

Waves of joy  

Laughter promotes good mental health as it helps release pleasure hormones via opioid receptors – dopamine elevates your mood, adrenaline promotes alertness, and serotonin relieves pain.  

A funny laugh can brighten a cloudy mood, help you focus when your thought pattern is out of sync, or give you a few moments of pain relief after walking into a door. Go on, laugh at yourself!   

Full-house lungs  

By laughing, you exhale longer, releasing the ‘stale’ air you have stored in your lungs. After this residual air is released, it’s replaced with fresh air containing higher levels of oxygen. Your lungs will feel clean and refreshed after a long, loud laugh.  

A healthy heart  

When we laugh, our blood vessels dilate and allow blood to flow more freely through the body. The smooth ride lowers our blood pressure, since our heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump out oxygen-rich blood.  

A good giggle also aids circulation and can help reduce your risk of heart disease. By promoting proper blood flow throughout the body, laughter keeps your heart working at a steady pace.  

No need to gym  

Have bellyaches and sore cheeks from a laugh? That’s because you’re using your diaphragm, abdomen and facial muscles at the same time. Laughter also increases your heart rate by 10–20%, which means just 15 minutes of laughter will burn about 40 calories in one day.  

Tummy troubles  

Speaking of a bellyache, the abdominal contractions we feel during an intense laugh produce digestive enzymes and insulin. This improves digestion, stimulates organ function, soothes tension and eases stomach troubles. The physical action of laughing actively improves circulation in the gut, contributing to a stronger immune system in the long run.  

Words by Sahrah Enous.
Photography: Gallo/Getty