And it's Friday! YAY! Every Friday I am going to be posting light hearted bits and bobs to make you smile while you unwind at the end of a busy steeming week.
Smiles and laughter are known to raise your immune system and release pain relieving endorphins...my youngest daughter used to call these "them dolphins" 😊😊😊
Experts agree that a good laugh strengthens the heart, lowering blood pressure, improving circulation, as well as boosting the immune system better than many drugs...all of which lifts our mood.
Laughter is known to stimulate the body's production of serotonin, the so-called happy hormone, which together with "them dolphins" gives us a natural high, reduces stress and creates a more positive perspective.
First up is funster James Corden singing a song from the Little Mermaid Disney Cartoon...in a parody skit with James as none other than Melania Trump!
Did you know that laughter also stimulates your whole cardiovascular system in a similar way to exercise? When we laugh we take on board more oxygen and release more carbon dioxide which makes us breathe more deeply and that, in turn, helps us to relax.
FUNNY PHOBIAS
This is, apparently, a 'thing' but fellow steemies...I think its quackers!
We all duck amd dive throughout the week but chilling out on a Friday and having a laugh can create some pretty remarkable physiological effects on your mind as well as your body. Positive and negative emotions are known to trigger neurotransmitters from neurons in the brain. When these chemicals enter the blood stream they attach to or, more accurately, plug into the receptors on the surface of the cell walls which can, depending on whether you're enjoying yourself or not, create a positive or negative immune response effect as well.
There's nothing like a breath of fresh air to clear the lungs but if you're in the wintery northern hemisphere this is the season of the sniffle, of colds and snotty noses. Laughter is known to also stimulate the respiratory system as well due to the increase in oxygen uptake through the deep breathing I mentioned earlier. And this can help to clear the bronchi of blockages and the excess mucus that always accompanies a cold. And if Steve Hughes can't blow the bogies out for you I don't know who else can...here he is Live at the Apollo in London.
Laughter exercises practically ALL the muscles in your body from the neck, scalp and face, to the shoulders, upper arms and torso right through to you tummy and legs. And when we laugh the temporary increase in our heart rates, and blood pressure also causes an increase in the circulation of blood where the capillaries close to surface of the skin dilate in a similar way to when we exercise. These little capillaries becomes flooded with nutrient rich blood delivering more oxygen to the skin's surface and this, joy of joys, makes our complexions look all glowy, plumped up and yes, you guessed it, flushed with youth! And here is the King of Stand Up Billy Connolly talking about the ageing process and Wildebeasts which is NOT a sentence I ever thought I would write!
And finally have you ever wondered why your legs sometimes turn to jelly when you are laughing really hard? The answer is simple...it's the serotonin which acts as a muscle relaxant and the sudden surge of this when you belly laugh relaxes all the tension in your muscles creating that slightly wobbly jelly feeling.
Wishing you all, dear followers and friends, a fun Friday and a relaxing, restful weekend.
In peace and with love
Lily⭐️