A good, hearty laugh is always fun. Laughing boosts your health. Laughter can reduce stress, boost your energy level and even strengthen your immune system. Laughter can improve your relationships with relatives, co-workers, friends and partners.

With humour and laughter, you release inhibitions and express your true feelings more easily. Laughter can also help you become more confident and spontaneous. Additionally, laughing with others can unite people, even in difficult times. It can help you connect, heal disagreements and let go of defensiveness.

You’ve got to laugh your stress away: In addition to making you feel less stressed due to humour or a positive outlook, laughter also physically relieves stress. First, a laughter response mimics a stress response with elevated heart rate and quick breathing. Then, as you stop laughing, that stress response dissipates, leaving you feeling more relaxed.

The next time you get in a good laugh, pay attention to what your body is doing – you are probably out of breath, have an elevated heart rate, and might even have some abdominal muscle soreness. Feel like you have just been to the gym? No surprise – laughter is actually a pretty good workout! Some minutes of laughter burns away your calories.

Laugh and improve on your immune function: Stress can have a seriously negative effect on the immune system, with stress hormones and neuropeptides generally lowering the body’s defences against sickness. By busting stress with laughter, you give your body an immune.

If you yearn for a toned abs, you’ve got to laugh: Surprised? According to medical experts, when you are laughing, the muscles in your stomach expand and contract, similar to when you intentionally exercise your abs. Meanwhile, the muscles you are not using to laugh are getting an opportunity to relax. Add laughter to your abs routine and make getting a toned tummy more enjoyable.

Laugh and sleep well: Sleep is an absolutely crucial part of health. A lack of sleep leads to a lack of concentration or high blood pressure. By leading to increased relaxation and lowered pain levels, a good dose of laughter may be what you need to burst through insomnia and get a good night’s sleep.

Laughter can increase your overall sense of well-being. Doctors have found that people who have a positive outlook to life tend to fight diseases better than people who tend to be more negative.

Life shouldn’t be all doom and gloom. If you find it hard to laugh, surround yourself with people with a good sense of humour because it is infectious. As the adage goes, laughter is the best medicine!