National Let's Laugh Day: Significance And Feel-Good Quotes

As kids or even teenagers, we broke into hysterical laughter upon hearing anything funny but as adults, we lack the time to enjoy the simple joys of life.

A lot has been said about the benefits of laughter, especially the fact that loud laugh spells minimize the level of cortisol in the body, relieving it of stress.

But, can that information alone benefit the body? We have to try and find ways to laugh until the stomach hurts because that's one way to unlock good health.

National Let's Laugh Day, which falls on March 19, encourages people to add a little more humor to their lives and positively change the way the body works. The day has been around for quite some time but the authentic history of its origin isn't known.

However, it arrives every year as a reminder of how important endorphin is -- a hormone that's released when we have a hearty laugh. Not only does it help improve the immune system and the neuroendocrine system, but also combats anxiety and stress.

The ways laughter benefits our body:

• Laughter aids in weight loss. Stomach-hurting laughter can lead to the loss of 40 to 60 calories in one go
• A burst of good laughter means a good exercise of the facial muscles, which in turn delays signs of aging
• A peal of hearty laughter is as good as a cup of tea in terms of energizing the cells of the body
• Laughter creates abdominal contractions that produce digestive enzymes and insulin, thereby improving digestion and sugar levels

Here are some feel-good quotes about laughter to mark the occasion. (Courtesy: Goodreads)

• "I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." - Audrey Hepburn
• "Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now." - Veronica Roth
• "There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor." - Charles Dickens
• "If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you." - George Bernard Shaw
• "If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane." - Robert Frost.