14 DAY TRIAL // They often say that laughter is the best and definitely the most fun form of exercise, and a recent study comes to show just how this happens. According to research cited by LiveScience, laughing is the best way to keep you toned and healthy, as it has the same effects on the body as regular exercise, while also improving the appetite.
However, that’s not to say that we should all skip the next class of gym or Pilates, because, while laughter is good, it’s not enough to tone muscles and help us lose weight. Still, a laughter a day might just keep the doctor away, researchers say, hinting that it could actually be the best kind of medicine, especially for those who have problems with their appetite and are too weak to do regular exercises.
The study will be presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California, and included 14 volunteers who were asked to watch two videos, one funny and the other depressing, while the levels of two hormones were monitored. As it turns out, after the funny video, which got the volunteers laughing, the body produced less of the hormone that cued satiety and more of the one that triggered hunger, which would mean the body reacted the same way as after exercise.
“Researchers measured the hormone levels of 14 volunteers before and after they watched a distressing or hilarious video clip. The researchers were particularly interested in two hormones known to regulate appetite: ghrelin, which spurs hunger, and leptin, which cues satiety. The appetite hormones did not change significantly as people watched the upsetting video (the first 20 minutes of ‘Saving Private Ryan.’)” LiveScience writes.
“After the amusing video clip – either of stand-up comedians or a funny film – hormone levels changed as if the participant had engaged in moderate physical exercise. Specifically, ghrelin levels rose and leptin levels fell, indicating a possible increase in appetite. The lower leptin levels would mean the body isn’t getting the ‘I’m full’ message. Overall, the finding adds to the understanding ‘that the body’s response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise,’ said study researcher Lee Berk of Loma Linda University in California in a press statement,” the same medical publication informs.
As also noted above, this will come in very handy in the case of patients who suffer from loss of appetite and who either are too weak or suffer from another condition that prevents them from working out in the proper manner.