I've seen couples in the middle of an argument catch each others' eyes and just break into laughter. And in the moment, everything shifts. The heavy emotion clears and suddenly better things are possible...
Laughter seems simple on the face of it, but the study of laughter (called gelotology) shows that many parts of the brain are involved: emotional, cognitive and motor. It requires the coordination of many muscles throughout the body and does a lot more: it increases your blood pressure, increases your heart rate, reduces pain and provides a boost to the immune system.
Between people, laughter forges bonds. It releases endorphins, the brain's "feel-good" chemicals. These pain-relieving chemicals are also created in response to exercise, excitement, pain, spicy
food, love and sexual orgasm, among other things. Couples who laugh together stay together. Here's some other ways laughter helps:
- It's a stress reliever which helps everyone relax.
- It makes you feel better so you end up being nicer to your partner.
- It helps lighten a tense situation and you loosen up and can resolve a situation more creatively.
- It creates intimacy through shared jokes, stories and
- It can liven up your sex life and make it more fun.