Laughter, walks, gaiety mark World Laughter Day

Hyderabad: The World Laughter Day is celebrated since 1988 to raise awareness about laughter and its benefits. Members of the 27 clubs in the twin-cities marked the occasion with fanfare and a walk from Public Gardens to Martyrs Statue on Sunday.

"Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster to bring your mind and body back into balance. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner. We like the feeling of shared laughter and our body wants as much of this feeling as possible," said AV Satyanarayana, Chairman of Laughing Club Hyderabad.

"When we laugh multiple areas of our brain including the frontal and occipital lobes become activated. On a biophysical level, our blood pressure is lowered and our abdominal, diaphragm, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles are all actively engaged and after 10-15 minutes of laughter it burns approximately 50 calories.

This physical activity also results in an increase in movement of lymphatic fluids which facilitates the immune system in more effectively clearing cellular waste. Furthermore, it results in an increase in blood oxygen content and circulation which may help to inhibit the growth of parasites, bacteria, and cancer cells.

Adding a session of laughter in your daily routine can make your everyday living and your mental health at peace," said Shireen Panjwani the founder of Always Be Cheerful (ABC) Laughter Club AP and Telangana. Laughing Clubs are growing in number in the city. Presently, there are 27 clubs with 5,600 members.

"Laughing creates a contraction of muscles, which increases blood flow and oxygenation. This stimulates the heart and lungs and triggers the release of endorphins that help you to feel more relaxed both physically and emotionally.

Even forced laughter releases a cocktail of hormones, neuropeptides, and dopamine that can start to improve your mood," said Suraj Prasad Agrawal, the President All Be Cheerful (ABC) Laughter Club.

According to one study done at Indiana State School of Nursing, mirthful laughter may increase natural killer cell levels, a type of white blood cell that attacks cancer cells. Being unhappy can become a pattern or mindset if we don't step outside of ourselves occasionally. By being a witness to our situation rather than allowing ourselves to feel the victim we can find the humor in it and see with fresh eyes.