[MUSIC PLAYING]
[LAUGHING]
AMY GARBER: Ah, we all love
a good laugh.
I know I do, or I would've
own every Garfield book ever
published.
That cat is lazy with a capital
L. But laughing doesn't just
make us feel good.
It's good for you.
To really see what laughter
does, let's check it out
in slow motion.
When the brain processes
something that's funny,
it signals for the body to react
with the muscles in our face.
Watch this.
The eyes squint.
The mouth opens.
Head tilts back.
And then out comes
that unmistakable sound of joy.
[SLOW MOTION LAUGHING]
Actually, in slow-mo, it sounds
kind of scary.
One reason laughing is fun
is because the muscle movement
that occurs
causes an increased flow
of endorphins, the chemicals
in your brain
that make you feel good.
[SLOW MOTION LAUGHING]
And when you cackle,
like this guy,
you get other health benefits,
too.
Laughter increases blood
pressure and heart rate,
so it burns calories.
And bonus time-- it can even
pump up your immune system.
But beware-- laughter
has its dangers.
It stops you from inhaling
oxygen and puts pressure
on your thorax, which can
theoretically lead
to cardiac arrest.
But don't let that stop you
from having a good laugh.
Just thinking of Garfield
eating lasagna does it for me.
[LAUGHS]
Yum, yum, yum.
Ah, that cat.
[MUSIC PLAYING]