The habit of smiling prolongs life

“A day without laughter is a day wasted” the famous words of Charlie Chaplin. Shakespeare wrote that laughing at your mistakes can extend your life. Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed that laughter is a protective tool of the psyche that helps to survive unpleasant events in life. But the American psychologist Abraham Maslow, assured that humor is a feature of a person who realized himself in life.

Among all the studies of the effect of laughter on the quality of our lives, you will not find a single negative. Laughter and humor play a very important role in improving life and increasing levels of happiness. A sense of humor is also considered one of the criteria for the level of intelligence. And the habit of smiling positively affects the state of your health.

• Laughter strengthens the immune system. The increase in stress adversely affects the immune system, but as you know, laughter relieves us of stress, therefore, strengthen immunity, which helps protect the body from viruses and other diseases.
• Expands blood vessels. Cheerful, infectious laughter contributes to the expansion of blood vessels, while narrowing of blood vessels leads to high blood pressure. Enlarged vessels contribute to good blood flow, preventing increased pressure and the development of heart disease, which, therefore, prolongs life.
• Trains the body. During laughter, you not only increase your mood, but also quietly train your abs and diaphragm. Laughter can activate about eighty muscles of the abs, chest and shoulders. Laughing about 100 times, you can assume that you spent 15 minutes on a stationary bike or worked 10 minutes on a rowing machine.
• Prolongs life. There are many studies of this fact, and all, as one prove its veracity. Some studies suggest that one minute of laughter extends your life by five minutes, while others say that 17 minutes of laughter will allow you to live longer for a whole year. The truth is that regular prolonged laughter brings the body an accumulative effect and in any case helps to prolong life and improve health.

Amazing facts about laughter that may surprise you:

• Tickling laughter is reflexive, but you will never laugh if you tickle yourself.
• At one time of a long laugh, the body burns from 3.5 calories.
• Women laugh more often.
• People can catch a laugh, but only professional actors can laugh on command.
• Laughter enhances memory, develops creative thinking and motor skills.
• Healthy people laugh 100 to 400 times a day. And they laugh not only because they are healthy, they are healthy because they often laugh!
• There is a whole science, gelotology, studying the effect of laughter on the body.

Smile more often and live longer!