Feeling stressed?
Written by Michelle Albert
It may not be a bad idea to laugh about it. A recent study showed that laughter may be the best medicine after all. Study subjects at the University of Maryland were shown a segment of a funny movie and part of a stressful movie (if you thought Saving Private Ryan was stressful, you are not alone), in random order of course. This is science after all. The scientists then took more than one hundred blood measurements.
Working from a baseline measurement, the scientists discovered that blood flow increased 22 percent on average when the subjects were laughing but decreased 35 percent during stressful periods. The long and short of the study? People who find it easy to laugh may be accruing benefits for their heart health. So, the next time something seems stressful – take a deep breath and chuckle.
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