Laughter is the best medicine

It seems that with every passing day, people are forgetting to smile and laugh in Bangladesh. They are so troubled and occupied by the hectic schedules at home, workplace and elsewhere that they forget to appreciate humour.

Laughter naturally decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving our resistance to various kinds of disease. Laughter helps our body to trigger the release of endorphins, a natural feel-good chemical. Every day we should spend some time laughing as it can help us see the lighter side of life. There is even a yoga form called laughter yoga, which is about prolonged voluntary laughter. Even fake or forced laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter.

Laughter yoga is done in groups, with eye contact, jokes and playfulness between participants. The form of yoga is popular in Western and Southeast Asian countries. There, laughter yoga is practised early in the morning in open parks.

Mohammad Sohel Hara

Banasree, Dhaka

sohelhara@hotmail.com