Scientists around the world have long been interested in the reason for the appearance and significance of laughter in people's lives. It is assumed that the skill arose in the process of evolution and was firmly entrenched in man. If this happened, then it is logical to think that this ability should give certain advantages to its owner. A number of researchers claim that laughter is a protective reaction of the body that saves a person in certain situations.
Laughter relieves stress
Scientists have hypothesized that laughter is a protective mechanism for the brain. It (the mechanism) turns on when a person collides with something incomprehensible, illogical. Perhaps evolutionarily it looked like this: people who faced a paradoxical situation did not turn sour, did not lose heart, but, on the contrary, laughed at what was happening or at themselves in the given circumstances. Life showed that in the end they turned out to be more successful in solving or understanding the problem than those who fell into despondency, grieved. That is why such a reaction strengthened in human behavior, and it was already possible to say that a sense of humor and laughter (all according to Darwin) became the evolutionary advantage of homo sapiens, which helped him to survive.
A fact from modern life: during stress (examination session, work in progress, personal drama), a person unconsciously tries to laugh and joke more often, looking for contacts with positive people, wits and jokers, unless, of course, we are talking about deep depression or an existing neurosis. True, sometimes in such situations laughter turns out to be nervous, smiles are crooked, and giggle is hysterical. But nevertheless, psychologists believe, this is much more useful than accumulating tension in oneself.
The tension accumulated by the body sooner or later breaks out, but when it has not found a way out for too long in the form of vivid emotions (crying, laughing, etc.), everything can end in a dangerous nervous breakdown and even psychosis.
Laughter conquers pain
Scientists from different countries conducted research aimed at studying the nature and function of laughter. Based on the results, they argue - laughter can defeat pain. When a person laughs, the amount of endorphin in his blood rises sharply - a hormone that can cause a feeling of joy and contentment, and significantly reduce pain, or even remove it altogether. Thus, people laughing heartily forget that something hurts somewhere, and the main pain reliever in this case is laughter.
Laughter boosts immunity
A smile, laughter, and even more so laughter has a very strong effect on human consciousness and has many unobvious effects. One of the first neurologists who studied the medicinal properties of laughter, the American William Fry made an experiment: he took blood from volunteers (these were his students), then he told them funny jokes, then he took blood again and compared the results of the blood composition. It turned out that in the blood taken after the session with jokes, the number of antibodies was increased, i.e. activation of immunity was manifested.
Subsequent studies by British scientists also indicate that the immune system of cheerful and cheerful people, always ready for a smile and an open laugh, has better resistance to many diseases (for example, the influenza virus). According to Austrian psychologists, laughter is perhaps the best therapy for stroke patients.
Today, laugh therapy in Western countries has become a popular phenomenon. There even exist various schools working according to different methods, but taking as a basis laughter. Therapists call their teaching the yoga of laughter.