Essay About Laughter

Laughter is good for the soul, the mind and the body

American philosopher and psychologist William James once said, "We don 't laugh because we 're happy - we 're happy because we laugh."

People believe that only people who are happy laugh a lot, and that may be true for some. But in most cases, people need to laugh first to become happy.

But what exactly is laughter?

Laughter is our body’s way to express humor. It is a combination of sound and facial expressions, of contracting muscles and respiratory irregularities.

How does laughter affect the human body?

Now, this is a question most people don’t think about and have never considered before, and the answer is shockingly amazing.

When we laugh, a variety of facial muscles contract, the

Although there are a number of controversial topics on how many muscles exactly are needed to laugh, all researches agree that this number varies from person to person. The least possible number of muscles needed to smile is ten; whereas the least number possible needed to frown is six. That means we need five muscle pairs to give a polite, indifferent smile, but only three to frown.

Laughter can help prevent premature aging, although, outwardly, a person who laughs or smiles a lot develops creases near the mouth and the eyes, also known as laugh lines; while inwardly, the body stays healthy. Frown lines can also form on a person that frowns a lot, though as we don’t use as many muscles to frown, the creases are considerably less; inwardly, however, the body ages faster.

Unfortunately, as a person matures, so does his/her sense of humor, and we find less and lesser reasons to laugh.

What people don’t know is that laughter is good for their health not only because it makes them feel good, but because it literally boosts their immune system, keeps their heart healthy and gives them a boost of energy.

How – why?

Laughter releases endorphins, brain chemicals also known as neurotransmitters.

Endorphins affect the body in a variety of