The Amazing Health and Learning Benefits of Humor

People usually associate humor and laughter with entertainment. Many see comedy as a fun diversion that's completely separate from work or education. However, the reality is that laughter helps people stay in good health and accomplish practical tasks. Humor can also make education more approachable and interesting. Students learn more when they can laugh and have fun in the process.

Medical Benefits

The greatest health bonus of laughter is that it reduces stress by relaxing your mind and muscles. This boosts your immune system and improves blood circulation. You might not get sick as often if you laugh every day. Fewer stressful thoughts help people avoid anxiety and depression as well. When you're happier, you become more likely to keep laughing and feeling even better.

Humor has several other lesser-known health benefits. For example, it helps the brain produce more endorphins. This reduces pain and improves your mental state. It also has the ability to limit muscle spasms, according to the Mayo Clinic. Laughter helps some people sleep better and regulate their blood-sugar levels.

Levity even has the potential to help us lose weight. A researcher at Vanderbilt University found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes will burn about 50 calories, according to WebMD. This happens because laughter raises your heart rate. However, no one recommends that you give up jogging to watch reruns of "Cheers"; one serving of chocolate pudding is equivalent to about 32-48 minutes of constant laughter!

Learning Benefits

Various studies indicate that humor also makes education more effective. Instructors can tell jokes, recite amusing stories and arrange skits that relate to the subject matter. This works just as well in middle school as it does in classes for adults, such as comedy traffic school and comedy defensive driving courses.

Informational TV and radio show hosts often use humor to make their programs more interesting. For instance, many listeners prefer an amusing car advice show to other programs that merely dispense dry automotive tips. The American Psychological Association reports that relevant comedy enhances education by motivating learners and relieving the anxiety that people associate with complex subjects.

Comedy traffic school is a great example of educators combining learning and laughter. The instructors incorporate amusing driving and car jokes into every topic. They take classes that people once considered a punishment and turn them into a fun and memorable experience. Online reviews of comedy defensive driving courses report that they are genuinely interesting and make the time pass quickly. These classes even come with free comedy club tickets.