laughter

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Laughing is a physical activity. When we are laughing, the muscle in our face and chest moves and the sound is form by the air going through our body. Laughing is not a volunteer behavior. It is controled by our instinct, which means we can't decide when we laugh and it's hard to stop laughing.

Why do we laugh? Some people may say that jokes and funny stories make us laugh but actually it is just 10% of laughter caused by them. Laughing can be our response of relief after overcoming danger. In addition, laughing is rarely an individual activity but rather a social signal. People tend to laugh 30 times more when they are with others. Therefore laughter creates the bond among people in the groups. Public speakers and politicians tend to make their audience laugh in order to raise trust and create the connection with the listeners. The link between laughter and power is proved by many studies. Female listeners tend to laugh more if the speakers are male. Plus, laughter can be used as a way to exclude someone from the group.

What are the benefits that laughter can bring about? In term of psychological aspect, people often choose to store negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear) so laughing is a safe way to release those emotions. In term of physical aspect, laughing is a good exercise. 100 times of laughing equals to 10 minutes jogging. The hormones related to stress are also reduced when you are laughing. The immuse system is reinforced because laugher increases the chemical in our bodies to protect us from pains. Last but not least, laughter can prevent bad dreams. Some studies show that 10 minute laughter before sleep can lead to good dreams.