Ever watched a rib-tickling movie and felt good for a while after that? Well, what you went through was an upsurge of endorphins that released into your system and led to a reduction of pain and a feeling of happiness, an energy boost of sorts. These neurotransmitters work a bit like opium and create a good feeling and possibly euphoria, which is why you get warned against laughing excessively. What do endorphins do for our bodies? The most obvious effect found has been the energy boost referred to as the ‘runner’s high’.

Effect of exercise

Any form of exercise that is carried out with a relaxed mind leads to an energy boost. The claim that exercises leads to improved memory and cognitive functioning is true due to the release of endorphins. The flow of these neurotransmitters works in a number of ways. One is to create new pathways (neurons) in the learning centre of the brain. Existing neurons are protected and their efficiency to send out signals is improved. Besides, the endorphins released into the system have the capacity to keep diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at bay. Depression can be effectively treated with a mix of exercise due to the energy boost and medication in a manner that gradually reduces the dependence on the latter.

Dose of humor

Daily dose of humour is an important remedy for almost all diseases. Laughter has the impact of exercising your internal organs to the point of displacement (thank god for tissues) and increases the heart rate and provides an energy boost. Endorphins are believed to be released due to laughter though this is not conclusively proved. At the same time, a bout of laughter has the effect of reducing the stress we are going through and provides enriching experience. Patients of chronic pain should try the therapy of laughter to manage the pain. The energy boost laughter creates brings about a reduction of the feelings of discomfort due to the release of endorphins.

Manage depression

Depression is often based on events linked to changing life circumstances. The patient finds it difficult to go about regular activities and may shun social gatherings. A depressive person can benefit from a dual approach that provides exercise and therefore better health through the energy boost caused by the release of endorphins. The parallel activity would be to read a comic book or rent a humorous movie or be with friends who appreciate humour. A daily dose of an hour of humour can bring the mental state to one of wider acceptance of the events of our life and allow us to move ahead. The energy boost that comes about with the endorphins helps the patient to overcome feelings of negativity.

Watch out, though

This is the classic case of too much of a good thing. Once the initial bout of inertia has been overcome and you steeped into exercise mode, your brain releases endorphins. The energy boost effect of the neurotransmitter increases the willingness to continue exercise to a point of muscle strain and injury. The ‘enough’ signal gets overruled and the brain ceases to read the warnings sent out by the nervous system. The good news is that this addiction to the energy boost is relatively easy to overcome since the opiate effect of the endorphins is not as high as with external substances.