The wisest man I have ever known has long been a proponent of the health benefits of laughter. He has often remarked that “the time you spend laughing does not count against your life expectancy.”
I never doubted the truth of that wisdom but it is nice to see it confirmed by science. Lambert at corrente points us to an article in the Bangor Daily News:
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have documented, for the first time, that laughter is in fact good for the heart because it makes blood vessels work more efficiently….Lead researcher, Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the university in Baltimore, said laughter should not supplant exercise, which also increases blood flow, but should be added to one's daily routine. He suggested 15 minutes of laughter daily and 30 minutes of exercise three times a week to improve heart health.
In their small study, Dr. Miller and his colleagues showed one humorous and one stressful movie clip to 20 healthy volunteers and then tested their blood flow, blood sugar levels and blood pressure. In 14 of the 20 volunteers, blood flow was reduced by more than one-third on average while watching the stressful clip, the opening scene from the World War II drama "Saving Private Ryan." The funny film clip, from "Kingpin," increased blood flow an average of 22 percent when 19 of the volunteers laughed.
The researchers specifically analyzed the lining of the blood vessels, called the endothelium, which is the first place where hardening of the arteries, a common form of heart disease is evident. They believe the relaxing of the endothelium was prompted by the release of nitric oxide. The compound relaxes blood vessels much like endorphins do during exercise.
So this gorilla walks into a bar. The gorilla slaps a $10 bill on the counter and says, "Give me a beer."Bartender figures what does a gorilla know? So he gives him the beer, but only gives him $1 in change. It's a slow night, though, so the bartender figures he should make some conversation. "We don't get many gorillas in here," he says.
Gorilla says, "Yeah, well at $9 a beer I'm not surprised."