as the pace of life quickens and the pressure from our work increases, some people say that we are becoming more gloomy and unhappy with each passing day. they believe that, in fact, we are losing our ability to laugh. they also hold that if we laugh more often we will feel happier and be more healthy because `laughter is the best medicine`. what they say seems radical, but in fact not radical at ail. laughter can really bring us a lot of benefits. first, laughter has a similar effect to physical exercise. it speeds up our heart rate,increases our blood pressure and quickens our breathing. it also makes our facial and stomach muscles work. in fact, it is a kind of `jogging` on the spot. next, laughter is a kind of pain relief. when we laugh, we produce a kind of chemical materials in our body that helps us to relieve pain. in addition, laughter stimulates our immune system, preventing us from being infected by diseases. third, laughter improves our state of mind and affects our entire physical well beings. laughter helps us feel healthy and alive. each time we laugh, we feel better and more content. finally, laughter helps to ease the tension between people. sometimes when people are going to quarrel with each other for one reason or another, a humorous remark leading to laughter can help settle the argument.