Contrary to what Rabelais said, laughter is not unique to humans, since it also exists in some animals. Even if statistics vary on this subject, we understand very quickly that social conventions and our so-called "civilized" societies do not favor laughter. Watching the news with its constant reminders of tragic events around the world is enough to make our spirits plummet and make us depressed... It's a real shame, because it has been proven that humor and the simple act of laughing are great assets for maintaining health.

Laughter has many physiological and psychological benefits.

In humans, laughter appears around the 4th or 5th month of life. From a physical point of view, laughter mobilizes and frees the diaphragm, therefore, it amplifies breathing and promotes oxygenation of all tissues. From a more subtle and emotional point of view, it maintains the joy of living and circulates the vital energy. Children laugh up to 300 times a day, for no reason, just for fun. On the other hand, adults laugh less than 20 times a day.

It is known that it slightly increases the heart rate and thus it favors the oxygenation of the organism and the elimination of the residues present in the lungs while increasing the respiratory capacity. It reduces muscular tension, massages the ribs and works the diaphragm, which improves intestinal transit.

By generating powerful positive emotions, laughter and humor lead to the release of endorphins (natural pain-relieving hormones) that have pain-relieving and immune-boosting effects.

From a psychological point of view, having a greater sense of humor allows you to take a step back from certain sometimes difficult events and therefore to be less affected by stress.

Positive people see life's challenges as stimulating, which gives them the "energy" to overcome them. They tend to have higher self-esteem, are more realistic in their self-assessment and are capable of self-deprecation, another great asset for de-dramatizing difficult situations.

Optimists who approach life with a sense of humor generally have a richer social life and are said to be "more attractive" and more adaptable. This seems normal since the endocrine gland of adaptability is the thyroid, which is also the gland of joie de vivre.

In recent years, we have heard more and more about laughter therapy, and this is no joke!

From a more subtle and vibratory point of view, laughter allows to sweep away negative energies and to raise the vibratory rate by stimulating the vital energy and the opening of the heart and throat chakras as well as the coronal chakra. The latter is stimulated by positive thoughts and high vibrations, of which laughter is a part.

In 1964, Norman Cousins was the first to practice laughter therapy. Using positive thinking and laughter, he cured himself of a very painful arthritic disease, considered irreversible. To do this, he watched comedy movies as often as he could and consumed vitamin C in very large quantities. He found that each 30-minute viewing gave him 2 hours of pain-free rest. After 6 months of this treatment, he was completely recovered.

In the early 1980s, dressed as a clown, Dr. Patch Adams (played by Robin Williams) began treating his patients with laughter and humor. Today, "Comiclowns" are circulating throughout the world's hospitals, an initiative that should be encouraged (see: http://www.comiclown.be/presentation.php).

So let's learn to develop our sense of humor and laughter, teach it to our loved ones and our children and spread the laughter since it is good for our physical, mental and emotional health.