There is a billion dollar market out there for weight loss products. Information on things that are simple and free are pretty scarce. After all, the point in scaring us all into semi-starvation is money, right? Well, the actual bottom line has always been that weight loss secrets don't rest in any trend or weight loss manual. Some of the most effective things for health, wellness and weight loss lie in things that are accessible to all.
The Rumor
There has long been a rumor about laughter burning a lot of calories. Sure, some funny people are quite then, yet others aren't. There doesn't seem to be a logical connection. Surely, the calories burned are among those burned by ordinary, daily activity, right?
Vanderbilt University Study
According to an article published in Reader's Digest, Vanderbilt University did a study on twenty-five friends. That was done because laughter is released more readily when people are among company. The study concluded that laughter did, indeed, increase the individual's heart rate by 10 to 20 percent. Laughter burned 1.3 calories per minute. While that's certainly not as many calories as you would get running or hiking, it's equivalent to light desk work.
Other Perspectives
The Vanderbilt study, while worthwhile and conclusive, is not the final word on laughter for weight loss. William Fry was one of the first to do such research on laughter. He claimed that it took ten minutes on an exercise machine to achieve the heart rate he would get from one full minute of laughing.
Aside from mere calorie consideration, there are other things to think about occurring within the body. We stretch muscles, and blood pressure also rises. More oxygen goes through our body to tissues because our breathing also increases.
The Laughing Place
As part of the ride Splash Mountain at Disneyland, the Laughing Place is a place where the animals went to have fun, but it was also concluded with a place of danger. Forgetting what one needs to be aware of for the sake of quick fun and laughter ended up in dire consequences for the rabbit. While laughter may seem like the way to lose weight, abusing it for that purpose is sure to take the fun out of a natural response to joy. At 1.3 calories per minute, any forced laughing is simply not worth it.
