Here’s a memory-booster we can really get behind: have more fun.
A study published by the Harvard School of Public Health found that adults with active social lives had lower rates of memory loss than less active study participants. Laughter has been found to engage several regions across the brain that can help boost brain function.
Here’s how, according to studies by Stanford University:
“Less than a second after you hear or see something funny, an electrical wave moves through the cerebral cortex. First, the left hemisphere analyzes the joke; then the right hemisphere interprets or gets the joke.”
“Next the visual sensory area of the occipital lobe creates an image of the joke in your mind, followed by the limbic (emotional) system, which makes you feel happier, and then the motor sections, which enable you to laugh or smile.”
So when you’re having a sad day, put on your favorite old sitcom (Laverne and Shirley, anyone?) or call a friend and share a moment. Not only will it improve your mood… it will improve your memory.
ALZIVE readers: have a great, funny, moving story or good old-fashioned joke? Share it with us! We’ll start: “Knock Knock…. ”
Email to Info@Alzlive.com; put Knock Knock in the subject line.
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