While many health professionals consult on stress management, and comedians by the barrel make fun of the foibles of contemporary behavior, LaRoche combines the scientifically derived insight that humor is good for your health, with her own eye for the way ordinary people tie themselves up into psychic knots of their own devising. There's more biochemistry to her work than pop psychology. Laughter truly is, by empirical evidence, good for your health. The pulse and blood pressure drop. Muscles contract, then relax as you laugh.
Breathing becomes deeper.
Serum oxygen levels are elevated, which benefits the cardiovascular system, heightens energy levels, and reduces tension. Laughter also boosts the immune system, increasing disease-killing cells and speeding up production of new immune cells. Like sex, she writes, laughter leaves you more relaxed afterwards. LaRoche brings up research in conversation too. You can tap into a molecule of happiness.