We used to play a game in youth group…The Ha Ha Game.  Yes.  That sounds ridiculous enough.  Regardless, the premise of the game was to have each person lay their head on the belly of the person next to them.

The first person yells, “Ha!”  The second follows, “Ha Ha!”  Each person there after adds an additional “ha” until laughter ensues.  Almost everybody LOVED it…especially when the person you had a crush on put their head on your belly, but I digress.

Yes.  It is as ridiculous as it sounds.  Don’t believe me, watch this YouTube video:

LAUGHING…yes…laughing is great for the health of your brain and body.  DO THIS REGULARLY EVEN IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT.  Although a hearty laugh has a deeper effect, a surface (or intentional/forced) laugh “tricks” the mind into releasing “happy” hormones and endorphines to the brain.

As the Ha Ha Game proves, the more we laugh, the more we want to laugh, and the better we feel.  Each time we laugh, we reinforce positive chemical reactions and our brain will desire more (in essence becoming addicted to laughter!).

How it works:

• Laughing stimulates brain circuits that enhance social interaction, empathy, and mood.
• Laughing simultaneously interrupts mood disorders like depression, anxiety disorders, worry, and fear.
• Laughing stimulates brain circuits that enhance social interaction (laugh and the world laughs with you…), empathy, and mood elevation.
• Laughing can help reduce pain, decrease stress, and enhance the immune system.  It is actually as therapy for some cancer patients.

Ways to help yourself laugh:

• Watch a funny TV show or movie with another person.
• Read a book of jokes.
• Listen/watch comedians on Pandora or Netlix and the like.
• Or just laugh…go ahead…I dare you…Just laugh out loud.  Eventually your forced laugh will turn into a real one.

SO GET OUT THERE AND LAUGH!!