BAGDIGESTS

  I remember the day my car broke down in the middle of the road, my phone battery was nearly dead, and rain started falling like the sky had a personal issue with me. For a few seconds, I felt that pressure rise in my chest. You know that feeling when something clearly surpasses your power? When you have done all you can and it is still not enough? Instead of shouting or blaming anyone, I just started laughing. Not the "I've lost my mind" kind of laugh. The "wow, life really thinks it is funny" kind of laugh. At the time I thought it was just a coping reflex. But it turns out, that instinct was doing something genuinely useful for my body and mind. Science has spent decades studying laughter, and what researchers have found is that this seemingly small, involuntary response is one of the more powerful stress-management tools available to any human being, and it costs absolutely nothing. What Laughter Actually Does to Your Body When you laugh, even brie...