The best medicine

No matter our age, country or culture, we all enjoy a good laugh. It’s one of the first ways we communicate with each other and we often do it without even thinking about it. All sorts of different things can make us laugh and, once we start, it can be difficult to stop. It seems to be completely involuntary. Sometimes, just hearing someone else laugh can be enough to get us started. But laughing is more than just a pleasurable, contagious sound. It’s a whole body work-out. When we laugh, energy is used to tighten and relax muscles, not only in the mouth
and face but also in the arms, legs and upper body. Laughing can really get the heart racing! Medical research has shown that when laughter is natural and unforced, there are huge physical and mental health benefits. Physically, blood flow is improved through the cardiovascular system; the immune system, which helps us resist disease, is boosted; muscle tension is eased; and of course the very deep breaths associated with laughing give the lungs a great clean-out. In terms of our mental health, the endorphins released by the brain when we laugh make us feel happier and more positive. Laughing reduces stress and distracts us
from our troubles. Perhaps most importantly, sharing laughter, even with
strangers, gives us a feeling of belonging and kinship.
Hospitals around the world are recognising the benefits of laughter and are including it in their patient care. In Australia, The Humour Foundation is a charity that works in partnership with medical professionals in many hospitals to promote the health benefits of laughter. The charity organises for specially trained Clown Doctors to visit patients and ‘treat’ them with a ‘dose’ of humour.
Laughter really is good medicine.

Make questions and answers 

According to the text, laughter is a form of communication that is used
to fill in gaps during conversation.
to calm down angry people.
by people of a certain age.
all over the world.

8 What is The Humour Foundation?
a charity
a hospital ward
a school for clowns
a group of patients in hospital

What is the main aim of the Clown Doctors?
to give medicine to patients
to operate on patients
to cheer up patients
to organise patients

In the second-last paragraph, the words ‘treat’ and ‘dose’ are in quotation marks
to show that
the words are names.
the words are direct speech.
the words should be emphasised when reading.
the words have a double meaning

According to the text, what sort of laughter produces the most gains?

The purpose of the text is to show that laughing
is involuntary.
has many benefits.
can cure illness.
is natural