Laughing all the way to the sperm bank

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22

It's no secret that laughter makes us feel better. As the quote above shows, people have known this for thousands of years. Around the world, people participate in Laughter Yoga, which is based on the premise that the mind often follows the body: you don't need to be happy to laugh, but if you're laughing, you're probably going to become happier.

We go to see comedies because they make us feel better; the clown is frequently the most popular act at the circus; we love to spend time with friends who make us laugh. Intuitively we know it: laughter is good for us. And research has demonstrated that our intuition is right: laughter does indeed boost the immune system, protect the heart, relax the body, and, of course, release endorphins.

A recent study by an Israeli research team has also demonstrated that laughter helps increase fertility! In a study of 219 women undergoing IVF, it found that 36% of the women who were entertained by a 'medical clown' became pregnant, versus 20% of the women who weren't.

Laughter really is a great idea. Just ask John Cleese, he knows:



Read more about the study here.