—
Turnagain Social Club has released an updated report delineating the benefits of laughter for seniors who want to maintain optimum brain health.
More information is available at http://turnagainsocialclub.com/blog/healthy-aging-how-laughter-keeps-your-brain-young
As people age, they often look for ways to maintain their brains so that it still functions like it did when they were young. Fortunately, research has shown that one of the best medicines for the aging brain is actually very inexpensive. That medicine is laughter.
No firm scientific evidence exists to prove that laughing will cure someone’s disease or prolong a person’s life, but research has shown that laughing makes positive physiological changes in a person’s brain and body.
Turnagain Social Club owner and President Koreen Mateaki explains that when a person laughs, the brain releases natural ‘feel good’ chemicals called endorphins.
The endorphins produced during laughter promote happiness and a sense of well-being because endorphins help to decrease stress levels. When the brain is less stressed, it is able to heal itself better and even make room for new and old memories.
The staff at Turnagain Social Club have noted that laughing is often contagious. When a person laughs, nearby people are likely to join in, thereby promoting a sense of solidarity and comfort throughout the group.
Laughing can be a distraction that takes a person’s mind off worries, thereby eliminating stressful thoughts at least for a while. After the laughter subsides, the good feelings linger because a good laugh relaxes the body and releases muscle tension for up to 45 minutes.
During laughter, the neurotransmitter dopamine increases, naturally reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Laughter also boosts the immune system by increasing immune cells and antibodies that fight infection.
Children engage in laughter on a regular basis, but seniors may find that laughing does not come as easily or as frequently as when they were children. This may be the result of stress that accumulated over the years and/or isolation.
Turnagain Social Club can provide opportunities for seniors to laugh through the programs and activities the staff has developed to give seniors a fun social environment and a place to laugh. Activities at Turnagain include cooking, games, knitting, pet therapy, audiobooks, and more.
Interested parties can find more information at http://turnagainsocialclub.com/blog/healthy-aging-how-laughter-keeps-your-brain-young
Release ID: 89022699