A good laugh can do more than lift your spirits — it may also benefit your overall health.

Experts say laughter can help boost the immune system, reduce stress, ease muscle tension, and strengthen social bonds with those around you.

According to Dr. Theresa Wee, medical director of Wee Pediatrics in Hawaii, laughter activates multiple areas of the brain linked to joy, reward, and emotional response. She told KHON2 Honolulu that laughing also helps reduce stress by triggering the release of feel-good hormones known as endorphins.

Wee adds that research suggests laughter may increase immune cells and antibodies, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, reduce pain, relax muscles, and even burn calories. It can also strengthen relationships by fostering connection, easing tension, and helping diffuse conflict.

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, a board-certified internist in Hawaii, says laughter’s healing effects have been recognized for centuries. Proverbs 17:22 in the Bible proclaims, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

“Every doctor has anecdotal evidence that validates this proverbial wisdom,” he says. “The late Norman Cousins, famed author and editor-in-chief at the Saturday Review magazine, healed himself in 1964 of a painful, life-threatening disorder through vitamin C and laughter when conventional medicine offered no relief.

“Cousins watched Marx Brothers movies and reruns of TV’s Candid Camera, among other laugh-inducing programs. His doctors were skeptical, but the patient laughed his way to a successful recovery,” notes Teitelbaum.

For those looking to add more laughter to their daily routine, Wee suggests starting small.

She recommends smiling more often, spending time with positive people, and finding humor in everyday situations. Learning to laugh at yourself or watching comedies can also help bring more moments of joy — and potential health benefits — into your day.