The Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences at the Faculty of Education for Humanities at the University of Basra organized a seminar on laughter and its benefits.
The seminar aimed to define laughter and the reactions of some people to internal and external stimuli that provoke laughter.
The seminar, presented by Dr. Amjad Abdul Razzaq Habib, included a description of the effects that appear on people who have experienced a fit of laughter, such as contraction of facial muscles, movement of the epiglottis to partially block the throat and gasping, as well as turning the color of the face to red, due to lack of oxygen, and activating the tear ducts, which are called tears of joy.
The episode showed that laughter is a way to express feelings of joy and happiness, communicate with funny people, or watch and read comical situations, and laughter can occur due to embarrassment or discomfort, which is called nervous laughter.
The panel discussion reviewed the health benefits of laughter, such as reducing stress hormone, helping to inhibit pain, enhancing the health of the immune system, regulating blood pressure and increasing blood flow in the body, helping to burn calories, as well as improving and protecting memory.
