The actor Charlie Chaplin once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

Yes, it is true! Do you know laughter can be healthy? According to the book A Better Brain at Any Age: The Holistic Way to Improve Your Memory, Reduce Stress, and Sharpen Your Wits by Sondra Kornblatt, laughter can:

• Lower blood pressure.
• Increase vascular blood flow and oxygenation of the blood.
• Give a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles.
• Reduce certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
• Increase the response of tumourcand disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells.
• Defend against respiratory infections – even reducing the frequency of colds – by immunoglobulin in saliva.
• Increase memory and learning; in a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increased test scores.
• Improve alertness, creativity, and memory.

Human beings are supposedly the only species known that can emit laughter. Other animals show emotions in different ways. Personally, I think my pup does show a sense of humour. My little Maggie has a knack of looking like she is really enjoying herself and making me laugh on a daily basis.

So, try and give yourself the opportunity to laugh often, not at the expense of others but by what you find enjoyable.

In my words, “The giggles are the best!”