Laugh to Thrive and Flourish What happens when we laugh? We get the fuel to thrive and flourish when we laugh. Dr. Maxine Barish Sutter Medical Foundation California describes benefits of laughing. Help Guide explores physical, mental and social benefits of laughter.  A Good Hearty Laugh Even looking forward to having a good laugh can boost your immune system and reduce stress. University of California-Irvine study shows that even knowing you will be involved in a positive humorous event days in advance reduces levels of stress hormones in the blood and increases levels of chemicals known to aid relaxation. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow. Playful laughing fuels positive energy, creativity and connection. Boosts immune functions. Increase's pain tolerance. Exercises facial, abdominal and chest muscles. Oxygenates the blood. Improves brain functioning. We are more alert, creative, we think better after a laugh. Laughing changes our mood. Boosts Positive Emotions. Laughing mixed together with the positive emotions of humor, and happiness lowers the stress hormones, corticosteroids and epinephrine. The release of growth hormone and endorphins plays a role in lowering the stress hormones. A Sense of Humor How Well Does Your Sense of Humor Protect You From Heart Disease? Take the University of Maryland Sense of Humor Survey. A sense of humor fuels positive energy, connection and creativity. Use humor during challenging times to transform situations. Use humor to arouse curiosity and engage in divergent or creative thinking.  "'Humor in children has been correlated with higher intelligence, creativity, sociability, empathy, self-esteem, and problem solving.  Louis Franzini, Ph.D. author of Kids Who Laugh: How to Develop Your Child’s Sense of Humor "Humor is a powerful force that can nourish children's growth, development, health, and sense of well-being." Amelia J. Klein, editor  Humor in Children's Lives: A Guidebook for Practitioners Smiling Smiling is Million Dollar Habit. "There are five habits you can develop to assure wonderful human relationships, both at home and work. They are: acceptance, appreciation, admiration, approval, and attention. The simplest way to express acceptance of another person is simply to smile each time you see him or her." Brian Tracy, Million Dollar Habits  Malcolm Gladwell writes in Blink pages 206, "Ekman said, "What we discovered is that that expression alone is sufficient to create marked changes in the autonomic nervous system." Increase activity of the zygomatic muscles (the smiling muscles) creates positive emotions. The corregator muscle, the muscle of frowning and startle responses increase negative emotions. page 191 Dr. Bob Arnot, The Biology of Success "Children are so receptive to a smile that if a parent could make just one change in a thirty day period to vastly improve their parenting style, I would suggest smiling more often at their children and offering more hugs and affection. Read the Big Smiling Oath at breakfast with your family, and share stories at dinnertime each evening - and there will be stories." Diana Loomans  What All Children Want Their Parents to Know:12 Keys to Raising a Happy Child Humor Heals Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. Heart surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center in New York City Director of the Complementary Medicine Program, Columbia University co-author of You:The Owner's Manual Humor is a Wonderful Tool Laughter can cultivate optimism. Optimistic patients tend to have fewer wound infections. Humor defuses fear.  Humor is reassuring. When people use humor the autonomic nervous system tones down a bit allowing the heart to relax. Humor helps doctors cope. Adapted from Reader's Digest September, 2005