SSS 2010-05-07（在线收听）

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This'll just take a minute.

“It’s not easy being me; when I was born the doctor told my mother, ‘I did all I could, but he pulled through anyway.’”

Rodney might felt bad…but listening to him should make you feel good. Because a new study shows that laughter can produce some of the same health benefits as physical exercise. That euphoric finding was presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim.

The idea that a good guffaw might be good for you surfaced in the 1970s. Since then, mirth has been shown to reduce stress and even boost immunity.

To continue cataloguing the health benefits of hilarity, scientists at Loma Linda University had volunteers watch a video: either 20 minutes from a funny movie or stand-up routine. And they found that laughing along with some light-hearted comedy actually lowered volunteers’ blood pressure. And it altered their appetite hormones in the same way that moderate exercise would.

Like a good joke, the study bears repeating. But the results suggest you might make giggling part of your fitness routine. So go ahead, LOL(Laughing Out Loud). Or for a full workout, ROTFL(Rolling On The Floor Laughing). But if you’re gonna ROTFLPMP(Rolling On The Floor Laughing, Peeing My Pants), think about wearing extra absorbent workout pants.

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin.