There is an old saying in English: "Laughter is the best
medicine". Until recently, few people took the saying very seriously. Now,
however, doctors have begun to investigate laughter and the effects it has on
the human body. They have found evidence that laughter really can improve
people’s health. Tests were carried out to study the effects of
laughter on the body. People watched funny films, while doctors checked their
heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter
has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart
rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the
face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be
beneficial. Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be
capable of reducing the effect of pain on the body. There is
also some evidence to suggest that laughter helps the body’s immune system, that
is, the system which fights infection. As a result of these
discoveries, some doctors and psychiatrists (精神病学家)in the United States now hold
laughter clinics, in which they try to improve their patients’ condition by
encouraging them to laugh. 1) Laughter really can (46)
. 2) In the first test, it was found that laughter has
similar effects to (47) . 3) Other tests have
shown that laughter can reduce the effect of (48) on the
body. 4) There is evidence to show that laughter helps the
body’s (49) . 5) In the clinics, the
psychiatrists try to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them
(50) .