When was the last time you had a good laugh? A good, minuteslong belly laugh?

If your answer is very recently, way to go.

If you don’t know, or would rather not admit to the length of time, it might be time to make a change.

A recent study has shown that laughter can be good for your heart.

Findings of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, held last month in Amsterdam. Attendees were told the research showed that, during laughter, brain chemicals called endorphins are released. The endorphins stimulate the inner lining of blood vessels. This action then releases nitric oxide, which relaxes arteries.

In short, laughter can promote healthy blood vessels.

The study was comprised of 26 people with an average age of 64. All of them had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, caused by a buildup of plaque in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

The question scientists set out to answer: Could laughter therapy improve symptoms in patients with heart disease?

Half of the study participants were asked to watch two different hourlong comedy programs each week.

The other half was asked to watch documentaries of a serious nature, including, according to the study, politics.

After three months, scientists were able to determine that the participants who watched comedy improved by 10% in a test that measured the amount of oxygen their hearts could pump throughout the body.

This group also saw an improvement in the expansion of their arteries and a reduction in inflammation.

According to the study, “Laughter helps the heart and blood vessels relax. It also reduces the levels of stress hormones, which place strain on the heart.”

In the future, research suggests, laughter therapy could also help to reduce dependence on medication.

So, the prescription is laughter - and the opportunities are seemingly endless.

Watch a sitcom or start a comedy series. “Friends”? “Gilmore Girls”? “Schitt’s Creek” anyone?

Read a funny book. “Bridget Jones’s Diary”? “Lessons in Chemistry”?

Attend or tune in to a stand-up comedy show. Jeff Dunham? John Mulaney?

Meet up with friends. Share some stories. Tell some jokes.

And when you do, allow yourself the heart-healing benefit of a good belly laugh - or two.

Laughter just might be the best medicine.

Kelly Lutterschmidt

editor

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press