EQ/Happiness

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Nothing is more important than happiness - it has a global effect on all areas of your life including success and even health. Here's just one of many findings about the benefits: researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, found that people who laughed the least were 40 per cent more likely to suffer from heart disease than people who laughed more frequently.

	Laughing engages almost every major part of your body.
	When you laugh, you lose muscular control (fall over, bend over or wet yourself).
	Laugher exercises your diaphragm. The diaphragm separates your chest cavity and your abdomen. When you laugh, it convulses and gives your organs a much-needed massage, stimulating circulation and enhancing general wellbeing.
	When you laugh, your heart rate and blood pressure increase, dilating your cardiovascular system. When you stop, they decrease to below normal. Laughing ultimately lowers heart rate and blood pressure.
	Laughing increases oxygen intake. When we laugh, we gulp in air. Because the cardiovascular system is already dilated, the oxygen moves a lot faster to already relaxed muscles. This is one reason why you feel so good afterwards.
	Laughing balances the brain. During normal beta activity, the left and right sides of your brain look different under a PET (positron emission tomography) scan. When you laugh, both sides look almost identical.
	Laughing releases the body's natural opiates and pain reliever; beta-endorphins.
	When you laugh, your head and your facial muscles move. These muscles are connected to your thymus gland, which in turn is responsible for your immune system. The more you laugh, the better your immune system.

The results of this are a release of tension, extreme relaxation, bonding with fellow laughers and, very often, the end of conflict and enough mental space to work out a resolution.