5 Benefits Of Smiling And Laughing, The First: Make You Happy!

Illustration of two women laughing and smiling (Pexels / Julia Larson)

JAKARTA - Various reasons can make someone smile and laugh. For example watching comedy shows, falling in love, and greeting other people. According to one theory, the Behavioral Ecology Theory, smiling is a medium for social interaction.

Smiling and laughing, based on research conducted by Dr. Harry Mitchel and colleagues from Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the UK, found they did not come from feeling happy. However, smiling and laughing can be beneficial to health as explained below.

The body produces dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin

By smiling and responding to the surrounding with laughter, your body releases three hormones that make you happy. Dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin signal the body to be happy.

Ron Gutman in Smile: The Astonoshing Powers of A Simple Act wrote that one smile the brain stimulation rate equals 2,000 chocolate bars.

Build better relationships

Be it romance or work relations, you can color it with smiles and laughter. This is because it has been scientifically proven that a smile is a medium for social interaction. From laughing together, closeness, quality relationships, and social support can be tied together.

More productive

If you lack focus or are bored at work, try greeting your friend. Smile and laugh. Jessica Pryce-Jones, author of Happiness at Work says that happiness at work determines a person's performance.

It will be more productive if you feel happy, so there's nothing wrong with stealing a few minutes to visit the next table to share a laugh.

Relieves stress

Have you ever felt tense, feeling anxious, and blood pressure jumped up? Relax, laugh and smile can be useful for relieving stress. Laughter, reported by UWA Online can stimulate muscles to relax.

Illustration of smiling at work desk (Pexels / Andrea Piacquadio)

Extend life

A study in Norway of 15 years, published in 2016 found that women with a great sense of humor lived longer than otherwise. In that study revealed amazing facts about the benefits of smiling and laughing.

The risk of dying from heart disease fell by 73 percent and the chance of dying from an infection decreased by 83 percent. Medically, laughter stimulates organs and can increase oxygen intake to stimulate the heart and other muscles.

Laughter also reduces heart rate and blood pressure. Want to keep looking young? Don't forget to laugh!