Jennifer Warner; 2005
March 7 - “Rent two comedies and call me in the morning,” may sound like an unusual prescription, but a new study shows that laughter may be good medicine for the heart. Researchers found that watching a funny movie had a healthy effect on blood vessel function, allowing them to expand and contract more effectively in response to changes in blood flow. But watching a mentally stressful movie, like a war drama, may have the opposite effect, causing the lining of the blood vessels, known as the endothelium, to narrow and restrict blood flow. “The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so, given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” says researcher Michael Miller, MD, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, in a news release. “At the very least, laughter offsets the impact of mental stress, which is harmful to the endothelium.” Miller presented the results of his study this week at the Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Fla.
Xanya Sofra Weiss
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