How Laughter Can Help Decrease Pain

Let's start with an Ice Breaker Question: What is your favorite physical activity or exercise to do?

It's time to boost some endorphins! We are continuing our talk on laughter by sharing with you some fantastic stats on laughter and endorphins. What are endorphins? Oh...you are about to find out! But first, let's take a look at the first two benefits of laughter we talked about earlier this month:

#1 Laughter Increases Serotonin Levels

Laughter can help your body release more serotonin, improving your mood and decreasing your levels of stress, making it easier to connect with your partner.

#2 Laughter Can Strengthen Your Bond

Humor is one of the first things that can garner attraction in a relationship, and it is those shared laughs that make it last. Whether it's an inside joke or funny little quarks your partner does, that laughter can help build intimacy and a connection that you cannot get with anyone else.

#3 Laughter Helps You Decrease Pain

Earlier in the month, we talked about serotonin, a neurotransmitter that can decrease stress and increase our moods.

In this post, we will look at a similar yet separate physiological reaction to laughter: the creation of endorphins, your body's natural painkiller chemical.

THE SCIENCE:

Unlike serotonin, endorphins are released as a chemical (not a neurotransmitter) that interacts with your brain to make you feel good, and it can even make you feel less pain. The creation of endorphins is mainly connected to exercise or physical activities. When someone says they have a "runner's high," what they mean is that the rush of endorphins created when they run puts them in a great mood and makes them feel happy.

Endorphins can also make us experience less pain. A study by the University of Oxford was done, which compared the subject's threshold for pain. Pain tests were administered through blood-pressure cuffs while participants watched funny video clips. After watching 15 minutes of comedy in a group, participants saw an increase in pain threshold by 10%. Those that were tested alone saw smaller increases. Translation? Laughing alone is good. Laughing in a group (or with your partner) is even better!

For all our amazing mamas out there, you can also see the effects of endorphins during pregnancy. Childbirth can be uncomfortable and painful (we know, understatement of the century), but have you ever wondered why seeing that little one for the first time makes all that pain melt away? During labor, your body releases a crazy amount of endorphins, making you forget about that pain and even helps with the mother-infant bonding period.

HOW ENDORPHINS AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Endorphins are your body's natural painkillers. They help us generate a sense of security and peacefulness. These things are essential in long-term relationships as well as marriages. When you and your partner are doing something together that increases endorphin levels, your body can physiologically link those types of feelings to your partner.

OTHER WAYS TO BOOST ENDORPHIN LEVELS

Besides laughter and exercise, there are other ways to boost endorphin levels in your body.

You can eat your favorite foods, especially chocolate. They call them "comfort food" for a reason! Studies show that indulging every once in a while in your favorite cuisines can help improve your mood and increase endorphin levels. Yay, cheat day!

You can rock out to music! Creating music, even drumming with pencils on your desk, can increase your endorphin levels.

How can you use these ideas above to create a date night? Don't worry. Below, we have a whole mess of endorphin-boosting date night ideas for you!

Monday Motivation

I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT

Besides laughing, you can increase levels of endorphins in your body by doing physical activity or exercising. So, this week's Monday Motivation is to do one physical activity with your partner every day.

You can go on a bike ride, jog around the park, go for a hike, work out together. You name it! That physical interaction will not only make you feel good individually, but it can also help create a stronger bond with your partner!

Date Night Ideas

What do chocolate, chili peppers, and a bumping tune have in common?

They all help your body release endorphins, and they are all a part of this week's date night ideas!

This week, we are focusing on activities that help your brain release endorphins, which can make you happy and improve your mood! Are you ready? 🤩