We recently posted on Facebook some quotations offering due “props” to laughter. We liked the quotations we selected, as we found them to be convincing and amusing opinions. Well, for one of our Facebook following patients, opinion is just not enough. She sent us the link below, offering an additional reason to have a good laugh:

 www.mc.vanderbilt.edu:8080/reporter/index.html?ID=4030

We can’t help but love this and we love that our patients are always on the lookout for more ways to improve upon the healthy lifestyle choices we strive to make every day. While we can’t ethically advocate that laughing while eating too much cake cancels out the calories (sorry!), the research that Dr. Maciej S. Buchowski of Vanderbilt University conducted is conclusive. The act of genuine laughter for 10 to 15 minutes a day can boost energy expenditure and thereby raise one’s heart rate 10 to 20 percent above a normal resting rate, burning an extra 10 to 40 calories per day. To find out more details regarding the positive health benefits of laughter to our cardiovascular, endocrine, immunological and musculoskeletal systems such as reduced muscle tension, increased blood oxygenation, improved heart health and pain-relieving endorphin production, read Dr. Buchowski’s original research findings here:

www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v31/n1/full/0803353a.html 

If you are more of a visual learner, enjoy this graphic: