Perla Cortez EDINBURG – Although laughter can cause pain in the abdomen because of a funny joke, it is reported that it can also help your mental health and anxiety caused by cortisol.
Carmen Villegas, a licensed practitioner counselor, said cortisol is a hormone in the human body that is released when an individual feels stressed.
High amounts of the hormone will lead to overwhelming emotions such as depression.
According to the Mayo Clinic, laughing can also benefit physical health by stimulating organs like the heart and soothing tension in the body.
Villegas said that laughter can be considered as one of the best medicines for the body to release “feel good hormones.”
“We have endorphins, dopamine’, serotonin a list of feel-good hormones. laughter has a lot of great short-term benefits. Not only does it engage you and your mental health, but it also impacts your physical health”, Villegas said.
The UTRGV Counseling Center will host two events to offer students a day to relieve stress by providing an experience to participate in activities to rest the mind.
The Mind and Body Reset, a wellness fair, will take place on the Brownsville campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 3 in the Music, Science and Learning Center lobby.
The Spring into Wellness event will take place on the Edinburg campus from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 4 at the UTRGV Dining and Ballroom complex lawn.
