BY DR. ROOPA CHARI, M.D.
Oct 6th, 2013
Laughing increases your brain power! How? Well hang in there as we talk a little about the anatomy and function of certain parts of your brain.
A study at Stanford in 2003 showed that in the center part of your brain (or midbrain), a part known as the nucleus accumbens becomes active when you laugh! The nucleus accumbens is part of a pathway of nerves in your brain and spinal cord (called a neural pathway) that scientists call a “reward circuit”.
The nucleus accumbens in your brain is the center of reward and learning! New research is now showing when it does not function properly due to stress or taking or coming off of drugs, it also plays a role in creating the feelings of depression.
This is why laughing is so important! When you laugh, this part of your brain gets activated and releases a brain chemical called dopamine.
Dopamine promotes desire, releases chemicals that allow us to feel pleasure, controls coordination & movement and increases circulation & metabolism. This brain chemical then flows from the center of your brain to then stimulate a very important part of our brain known as the frontal lobe.
The frontal lobe is right behind your forehead and is at the top front part of your brain.
The frontal lobe of your brain is very important for complex mental tasks including the ability to solve problems, to correctly express language, feel empathy and compassion for others, where we understand if someone is lying or deceiving us, controls our movement, impulsive emotions, judgment, memory, being motivated to take action and so much more!
So believe it or not the more you laugh on a daily basis, the better decisions you will make in your personal life, business & job! You will also be more aware of who to trust, you will be able to do complex tasks well, your memory, focus, concentration and motivation will be sharp and you will have more fun doing tasks in the first place!
So please take time out to laugh everyday, watch something funny, read a funny joke or just start laughing out loud for no reason at all. In today’s world, it is more important than ever and your brain, business and personal life will benefit!
In the next article, we will talk about about the health benefits of laughing. It is powerful, stay tuned!
Dr. Roopa Chari is a Board Certified holistic medical doctor in Internal Medicine and her brother Deepak Chari is an Engineer and Certified Biofeedback Specialist at The Chari Center of Health,a holistic integrative medical center in Santa Barbara, CA. They specialize in leading-edge solutions for anti-aging, natural hormone balance, anxiety, stress & pain relief. They combine holistic medical consultations, clinically proven natural remedies, leading mind/body techniques and advanced non-invasive technologies to treat the root cause of your symptoms. Subscribe to their free leading-edge health news, tips, recipes & more at www.charicenter.com.
Follow the Chari’s on Facebook at www.facebook.com/charicenter & Twitter.com/charicenter or call (760) 230-2711.
A study at Stanford in 2003 showed that in the center part of your brain (or midbrain), a part known as the nucleus accumbens becomes active when you laugh! The nucleus accumbens is part of a pathway of nerves in your brain and spinal cord (called a neural pathway) that scientists call a “reward circuit”.
The nucleus accumbens in your brain is the center of reward and learning! New research is now showing when it does not function properly due to stress or taking or coming off of drugs, it also plays a role in creating the feelings of depression.
This is why laughing is so important! When you laugh, this part of your brain gets activated and releases a brain chemical called dopamine.
Dopamine promotes desire, releases chemicals that allow us to feel pleasure, controls coordination & movement and increases circulation & metabolism. This brain chemical then flows from the center of your brain to then stimulate a very important part of our brain known as the frontal lobe.
The frontal lobe is right behind your forehead and is at the top front part of your brain.
The frontal lobe of your brain is very important for complex mental tasks including the ability to solve problems, to correctly express language, feel empathy and compassion for others, where we understand if someone is lying or deceiving us, controls our movement, impulsive emotions, judgment, memory, being motivated to take action and so much more!
So believe it or not the more you laugh on a daily basis, the better decisions you will make in your personal life, business & job! You will also be more aware of who to trust, you will be able to do complex tasks well, your memory, focus, concentration and motivation will be sharp and you will have more fun doing tasks in the first place!
So please take time out to laugh everyday, watch something funny, read a funny joke or just start laughing out loud for no reason at all. In today’s world, it is more important than ever and your brain, business and personal life will benefit!
In the next article, we will talk about about the health benefits of laughing. It is powerful, stay tuned!
About Dr. Roopa Chari, M.D.: "Dr. Roopa Chari is a medical doctor in Internal Medicine and her brother Deepak Chari is an Engineer and Certified Biofeedback Specialist at The Chari Center of Health, an advanced integrative medical center in Encinitas, CA. * Sign up for a FREE 15 minute holistic medical consult with Dr. Chari and/or a FREE 15 minute Stress & Anxiety Relief session with Advanced Voice Biofeedback with Deepak Chari here or call (760) 230-2711."