Proof of God’s Truth: A Cheerful Heart has Healing Power
God’s Word is unfailing Truth, and there’s plenty of proof to back scripture saying laughter brings healing. March 19 is the date of National Let’s Laugh Day, which is observed each year around the globe. It’s the perfect time to check out the scientific and medical evidence that God’s Word is indeed true when it comes to Proverbs 17:22a and others like it. Below are six health benefits of laughter--evidence that, indeed, “A cheerful heart brings good healing.” A list of ideas for triggering belly laughs is also below.
Laughter Actually is the Best Medicine!
1- Laughter Reduces Stress Hormone Levels
Accumulated stress is bad for the body. The following are among the negatives of being under continuous stress:
- Stress makes it difficult to control your emotions.
- Illness, disease, and accidents are linked to stress, including lung disease, cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, and fatal accidents.
- Stress often causes grinding of the teeth, which can result in long-term damage to your teeth, jaws, and gums.
- The rate of heart attacks and sudden fatalities increases following major stress events, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes.
- Stress can make you gain weight and look older.
- If you are overstressed, a solution that can provide relief is laughter because laughing reduces stress hormone levels.
2-Improves Heart Health
If you are physically incapable of cardio workouts, due to injury or illness, you can get your heart rate up through laughter. At the same time, you can burn calories at the same pace of walking at a slow-to-moderate pace.
3- Gives your Abs a Workout
Interested in toning your abs? Try laughing more! When you laugh, your stomach muscles expand and contract in a way similar to exercising. What better way could there be to exercise than through laughter?
4-Lowers Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Although there are prescription medications to help, you can also use a do-it-yourself approach. Simply find ways to belly laugh often, if you need to lower your blood pressure. Your blood pressure can drop when you laugh, even if it is currently within the normal range. Why does this happen? Research shows that belly laughs reduce stress hormone levels that cause blood pressure to climb.
5-Laughter Strengthens your Immune System
You are literally less likely to get sick if you make it a regular practice to laugh. Your immune system can be damaged by stress, but laughter increases infection-fighting antibodies and immune cells.
6-Laughter Triggers Release of Endorphins
The body’s natural painkillers are called “endorphins,” an undeniable gift of God. One way to enjoy the release of endorphins is by exercising strenuously. There’s another way to feel good all over as chronic pain is eased because of endorphins: Laughter!
Ways to Trigger Belly Laughing
Saying it’s good to laugh isn’t necessarily helpful if you don’t know how to go about adding laughter to your day. The following are some helpful ideas:
- Start each day with intent and readiness to laugh.
- Get a daily calendar that provides daily humor of a type that makes you laugh, and read it each morning. Examples of funny daily calendars (depending on your sense of humor) include: Awkward Family Photos, The Onion, You Had One Job!, and Cat Shaming.
- Watch funny movies.
- Read funny books.
- Watch your favorite comedians—most have segments on YouTube.
- Watch a funny sitcom.
- Hang out with a funny kid in your family.
- Get a dog or a cat.
- Learn how to laugh at yourself.
- Start a “Joke Jar” and put funny jokes inside. After dinner, have someone pull a joke out of the jar and read it aloud.
Laughter is Better than Many Prescriptions
Of course, God always knows what he’s talking about. When he said that a merry heart does good like a medicine, he meant it literally. If you start feeling symptoms of illness, a good first action besides prayer is to grab a joke book or find some other way to laugh. Some belly laughter may be all you need to feel well again.
