No. It’s no joke. But joking does help you get rid of those extra pounds.

Laughter therapies have gained popularity around the world. It has proved helpful in curing many ailments.  Laughing exercises have even found their way to clinics and fitness clubs all over the globe.

But what has laughter to do with weight loss?

• Psychological studies have shown that laughter can help reduce weight.
• Laughing is considered equivalent to exercising. Your muscles are put to action and you never know how many calories you are losing simply by laughing.
• Experiments were conducted on people by scientists. They were made to watch comedy shows on the television inside a chamber. Later, the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide inside the chamber was calculated. Thus the increase in metabolic rate was tracked.
• According to William Fry, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Stratford University, “Laughing 100 to 200 times per day is the cardiovascular equivalent of rowing for ten minutes.”
• While you laugh, fifteen of your facial muscles are put into action.
• Laughter helps in the easy flow of blood by making the blood vessels active.
• Laughter also reduces your craving for food. The excess secretion of the hormone Cortisol increases the desire for food. Laughter reduces the level of Cortisol production thereby controlling your unsatisfying hunger.