Laugh a lot in life, cry some

Laughter is one of the better medicines for what ails you. It distracts you from pain, feels good, and lowers stress levels. As has been proven by practically everyone, stress leads to high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Studies have suggested that the stress hormone cortisol destroys hippocampal brain neurons. Cortisol also adds that extra obnoxious layer of fat around your center, as you age.

The hippocampus, in the protected center of the brain, affects memory and learning ability. So here’s logic: laugh more to lower your stress and improve your memory. According to a study done at Loma Linda University, aged people (how old is that, exactly?) were shown humorous videos, then tested for memory retention, learning ability, and cortisol levels measured in saliva. They fared better than those not shown the videos. Their cortisol levels lowered and memory improved.

Learning ability is challenged with age, as is memory. It is well known that when you are stressed, you cannot concentrate, which means you read the same sentence 23 times and still do not remember it. Try YouTubing some really dumb animal videos before you sit down to study. Or, if you are old and your memory still serves you, some I Love Lucy reruns. See if it helps. Certainly can’t hurt.

Laughter produces endorphins and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that, among other things, produce better functioning of the immune system, keeping you healthy and disease free. Endorphins produce that “high” you get when you have worked out extra hard, won the lottery, accomplished something that you have been working on for a long time, or found out that the lump you thought was cancer, isn’t. It’s a natural high that your brain produces. Dopamine triggers the boost to finish the project when you most feel like giving up. Endorphins and feeling great are the reward.

Laughter is the vehicle for delivering a cognizant, healthy mindset. It changes the activity of brain waves, which results in improved memory, increased learning, and feel good moods.

So here’s the deal: laugh a lot in life, cry some.

That’s Aging Intelligently.