Laughing can help you live longer.
Laughter can help a person to live longer
New research conducted in Brazil shows that having a giggle can help to ease the symptoms of heart disease.
Researchers held the trial to examine if 'laughter therapy' can improve cardiovascular symptoms and looked at 26 adults with an average age of 64 - who had all been diagnosed with coronary artery disease.
Half watched comedy programmes every week for three months while the others watched serious documentaries.
The comedy group saw a 10 per cent improvement in how much oxygen the heart could pump around the body and their arteries' ability to expand was also enhanced.
Lead author Professor Marco Saffi, of the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, said: "This study found that laughter therapy could help reduce that inflammation and decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke.
"Laughter therapy could be implemented in institutions and health systems like the NHS for patients at risk of heart problems."