Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

laughter

LOL-Laugh Out Loud… for your heart!

I have been reading a lot about the benefits of laughter. One surprising benefit of laughter is a healthier heart! Laughter affects your nervous system, boosting your serotonin, dopamine, and endorphin levels,  but also it can be a great workout for the immune, lymph, and cardiovascular systems. When you laugh, your heart rate increases and […]

WRITTEN BY: Dr. Roseanne Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County, Scammahorn.5@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Mist Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Photo by Silvia Cosimini from FreeImages

REFERENCES:

  • Abram, T. (2018). Laughter has serious benefits. Michigan State University - https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/laughter_has_serious_benefits
  • Edmonds, M. (2019, June 16). What is laughter therapy? https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/laughter-therapy.htm
  • Henry Ford LiveWell. (2019). How Laughter Benefits your Heart Health. https://www.henryford.com/blog/2019/03/how-laughter-benefits-heart-health#:~:text=When%20you%20laugh%2C%20your%20heart,of%20a%20heart%20disease%20diagnosis.
  • University of California San Francisco. (n.d.). Laughter Yoga. https://osher.ucsf.edu/public-classes/laughter-yoga
  • The University of St. Augustine. (2019). How laughter can relieve stress and Ideas to laugh it off. https://www.usa.edu/blog/how-laughter-can-relieve-stress/

Why Laugh?

I recently got back from vacation and started to reflect on the wonderful opportunity to share time with family and friends. One thing that stood out for me was the amount of laughter experienced.  According to Merriam-Webster, laughter is a sound of laughing, a cause of merriment.  From the very beginning to the very end […]

WRITTEN BY: Lorrissa Dunfee, M.S., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Belmont County.

REVIEWED BY: Lisa Barlage, M.S., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County.

SOURCES:

  • Recker, Nancy. Laughter Is Really Good Medicine. 2007, www.dartmouth.edu/~eap/library/Laughter_Good_Medicine.pdf.
  • “Stress Relief from Laughter? It's No Joke.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 21 Apr. 2016, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456.
  • Marano, Hara Estroff. “Laughter: The Best Medicine.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, Apr. 2005, www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200504/laughter-the-best-medicine.
  • “Laughter.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, 2018, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laughter.

Lessen Your Stress This Holiday

As we begin December and the whirl of the holiday season, we may find that our schedules are full, our wallets are light, and our hearts are overflowing with joy. For some, however, holidays bring anxiety, stress and depression. For most of us, holidays are a mix of all these things. We are challenged by […]

WRITTEN BY: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Snowman photo taken by Shannon Carter

SOURCES:

  • Bono, G. August 2012. The American Psychological Association.
  • The Cleveland Clinic. 2016.

Humor Me Please!

Have you noticed that children tend to laugh easily at all sorts of things from people to objects to jokes?  As adults we seem to be more selective when it comes to humor.  This is too bad because preliminary data in one study found humor engages our entire brain and who doesn’t want that?  Further […]

WRITTEN BY: Candace J. Heer, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Morrow County, Heart of Ohio EERA, heer.7@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Marilyn Rabe, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County, Heart of Ohio EERA, rabe.9@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • http://pixabay.com/en/tree-frogs-pig-laughter-517346/

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