So laughter really is the best medicine…
Watching a funny film boosts the way blood vessels function, a study says.
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore compared the effects of watching funny and stressful films. Stress caused blood flow to slow by around 35%, but laughter increased it by around 22%, they told the American College of Cardiology.
UK heart experts said there was increasing interest in the idea that positive emotions benefited health.
“Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system” – Michael Miller, University of Maryland Medical Center