Is Laughing Contagious?

We all know by now that laughter is the best medicine. No matter what ails you once you release that tiny chuckle you begin to feel better. Humor enlightens our souls.

Once the initial smile begins our brains crave for more. Laughter is often referred to as a drug, which is why some people call it their "drug of choice."

Do you remember the last time you laughed so much that your belly ached and your face hurt? It was a wonderful feeling, wasn't it?

I believe in laughing until you can't laugh no more and then laugh again. Repeat the process over and over.

To be able to laugh at yourself is a gift. Not many people understand that. What purpose does it serve to be defensive and hurt when someone laughs at you.

To err is human, to forgive is divine. Go ahead and laugh, we all make mistakes. We live and learn by them.

Laughter burns calories and that's something to laugh about. With just 15 minutes a day of laughing you could burn between 10 to 40 calories.

Now take into account that the more you laugh the more calories you will burn. As a result of the extra movement and the increase in your heart rate you could lose between 4 lbs to 10 lbs a year just from laughing. Now that's no joking matter!

Laughter is also beneficial to your health. It helps to reduce muscle tension and it increases the amount of oxygen in the blood. It exercises the heart and produces happy chemicals in the brain called endorphins.

Now that sounds like a great reason to have a few chuckles a day!

• "The sixties were when hallucinogentic drugs were really, really big. And I don't think it's a coincidence that we had the type of shows we had then, like The Flying Nun."

  Ellen DeGeneres

• "Funny is an attitude."

  Flip Wilson

• "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying."

  Woody Allen

• "Don't forget Mother's Day. Or as they call it in Beverly Hills, Dad's Third Wife Day."

• Jay Leno

• "It is a scientific fact that your body will not absorb cholesterol if you take it from another person's plate."

• Dave Barry

• "You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking 5 miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is."

  Ellen DeGeneres

• "I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific."

  Lily Tomlin

• "Electricity can be dangerous. My nephew tried to stick a penny into a plug. Whoever said a penny doesn't go far didn't see him shoot across that floor. I told him he was grounded."

  Tim Allen

In addition laughter usually makes us feel more positive about life and this can help us feel better about ourselves. Whether you are watching your favorite sitcom or sharing laughs with a friend you are bound to feel exhilarated. There are just no excuses not to enjoy those wonderful moments of glee.

Fact: Laughing is contagious. No doubt about it. Have you ever listened to a child giggle? I bet you laughed along with them. How could anyone possibly not! The laughter of the innocent is the best laughter of all. Even better is when neither you nor the child have the slightest idea over what you are laughing about. I'll give you a minute to picture that and relish in the moment.

My advice is to spread the laughter virus. Who wouldn't want to catch it? Always remember: laugh and the world laughs with you, so go ahead and laugh until you can't laugh no more! Then proceed to do it again. Humor helps us cope and heal from hurt or tragedy. The times we think it would be impossible to ever laugh again is when we need humor the most. So do yourself and your loved ones a favor and "keep on laughin'." Help make this world a better place.

“Never pick a fight with an ugly person, they've got nothing to lose.”
Robin Williams

“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
Bill Cosby

“I see TV ads about detergents that can get blood stains out of your cloths. I say if you have blood stains on your cloths you should be thinking about something other than laundry”
Jerry Seinfeld

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.”
Woody Allen

"The New England Journal of Medicine reports that 9 out of 10 doctors agree that 1 out of 10 doctors is an idiot."
Jay Leno

"Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home."
Phyllis Diller

You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, "My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!"
Dave Barry

Just broke up with someone and the last thing she said to me was, "You'll never find anyone like me again!" I'm thinking, "I should hope not! If I don't want you, why would I want someone like you?"
Larry Miller

"When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them."
Rodney Dangerfield