What is the easiest way to burn calories? Certain types of diets? Perhaps machines or gadgets? Maybe walking or light exercise is the easiest way to burn calories. You have heard all these answers and many more and while some are accurate, others not so much. But have you heard that laughing can help burn calories? So, is this true? does laughing burn calories?

This is what we will find out today and more by looking into the science of it all and seeing if this claim holds any truth and if it does, how we can utilize it more to burn calories a bit more easily.

Laughter Is a Physical Activity

While laughing doesn’t feel like an actual workout, there is no denying that it is a physical activity that involves using multiple muscles and body parts and not just in your face. Laughter also increases our heart rate, and the muscles in our chest and abdomen are also stimulated. So, in a way, it is a lot like stretching and releasing a little bit of energy.

How Many Calories Does Laughter Burn?

Now that we have established that laughing is a physical activity, we know that it does help burn calories, but exactly how many calories are we talking about? The answer is that by laughing approximately 10 to 15 minutes every day, we can burn 10 to 40 calories. 

But this rate is not universal across the board, as there are many factors that need to be taken into account. Starting with what kind of laugh are we talking about, a quick chuckle or a hearty belly laugh and secondly the number of calories lost also depends on individuals body weight, metabolism and other such factors.

Scientific Support

So far, what we have discussed can be deduced by most people, but what we really need is scientific support to answer the question, does laughing burn calories and we have this in the form of the 2005 Vanderbilt University study, where researchers found that watching funny videos, can help burn calories. The study showed that participants released 10% to 20% more energy by laughing while watching funny videos.

Health Benefits Beyond Calories

Beyond just burning calories, laughter has many other health benefits, like stress reduction, where laughing can help reduce cortisol levels, leading to reduced weight gain. Laughter also helps increase blood circulation and greater oxygen intake in the body, so it helps with your cardiovascular health as well. 

It also helps relax muscles, which is very beneficial for the body. Laughter also releases feel-good chemicals like endorphins and dopamine in the brain, leading to a good mood, and we know that a good mood is essential in reducing anxiety and depression.

Limitations: Not a Weight Loss Tool on Its Own

So, laughter can not only help burn calories, but it also has other health benefits, but we should remember it is not the be all and end all cure for weight loss, as proper exercise and a balanced diet is the only way to properly lose weight and laughter just helps make the rest of the process a bit easier.