Watching a film that makes you laugh is good for your heart, according to a study.
Researchers found watching a movie or programme that produces laughter has a positive effect on vascular function and is opposite to that observed after watching a war or horror film that causes mental stress.
In the study volunteers watched segments of a funny film - such as There's Something About Mary starring Cameron Diaz - on one day and on another day watched the opening segment of the stressful war film Saving Private Ryan.
Lead investigator Dr Michael Miller from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the U.S. said that when the volunteers watched the stressful film, their blood vessel lining developed a potentially unhealthy response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow.
He said this finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels.
However, after watching the funny movie, the blood vessel lining expanded.
Overall, more than 300 measurements were made with a 30 to 50 per cent difference in blood vessel diameter between the laughter and mental stress phases.
Dr Miller said: 'The take-home message here is that laughter is great for your heart.
'The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium after laughing was consistent and similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic exercise of statin use.'
Researchers found watching a movie or programme that produces laughter has a positive effect on vascular function and is opposite to that observed after watching a war or horror film that causes mental stress.
Comedy: Researchers found watching funny films, such as There's Something About Mary (starring Cameron Diaz) has a positive effect on vascular function
Negative: On the flip side, watching horror or war films, such as Saving Private Ryan, was found to cause mental stress
Lead investigator Dr Michael Miller from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the U.S. said that when the volunteers watched the stressful film, their blood vessel lining developed a potentially unhealthy response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow.
He said this finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels.
Overall, more than 300 measurements were made with a 30 to 50 per cent difference in blood vessel diameter between the laughter and mental stress phases.
Dr Miller said: 'The take-home message here is that laughter is great for your heart.
'The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium after laughing was consistent and similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic exercise of statin use.'
No comments:
Post a Comment