Experts say children can laugh up to 300-400 times in a day, but as adults this frequency drops to 15 times a day. But it's medically proved that laughter benefits your health. Says Dr S K Gupta, senior consultant, cardiology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, "Laughing exercises the heart as well as the lungs. When one laughs, the heart rate goes up and the brain is relaxed."
Do we need to laugh more today? "In a fastpaced world, stress-related diseases are on the rise. More than 70 per cent of illnesses are related to stress. To escape stress, people turn to alcohol, smoking and drugs. If only they realised the wonder medicine of laughter!" exclaims Dr Kataria.
According to research, open-mouthed laughter is most appealing. "Laughter sounds good only when it's open-mouthed. Conversely, a closed mouth laugh such as a snigger, which scientists describe as a 'pant-pant' sound, has the opposite effect." A study suggests that beginning in childhood, we learn to associate the wide-open guffaw with life's most positive experiences. Eventually, all it takes is to hear that happy sound to feel happier.