Laughing feels good. We all love a hearty belly-laugh, a cute giggle, or a jovial chuckle. But did you know that laughter not only feels great in the moment, but it also offers long-term benefits to your health?! The reason that laughter offers such profound health benefits is that it allows the pituitary gland to release pain-suppressing opiates.

So, what exactly can laughter do for you? It can…

• Decrease blood pressure
• Improve vascular blood flow
• Oxygenate the blood
• Give the diaphragm, abdominals, facial, leg, and back muscles a workout
• Improve respiratory function
• Reduce stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline
• Improve the response of tumor- and disease-suppressing cells
• Prevent respiratory infections
• Reduce the occurrence of colds
• Improve memory and increase learning
• Help with alertness and creativity

If you’re looking for a super simple (and enjoyable) way to boost your overall wellness – start laughing! Turn to your friends, family, favorite joke book, comedian, or funny movie to help you crack a smile, if need be.

If you’re feeling a little out-of-touch with your family and friends, it’s never too late to reconnect. To rekindle a connection or build your social life, try using the following techniques that will foster communication and connectedness.

Skype, Facebook, and FaceTime
You don't have to be extremely tech savvy to start using Skype, Facebook, or FaceTime. These simple apps work across platforms (FaceTime's Apple-centric) to make it possible to stay in touch using something that seemed miraculous just a few decades ago: video calls!

Monthly Dinners
With everybody's lives being so hectic nowadays, it can be tough to enjoy an ad hoc get together. Planning a regular monthly dinner — a potluck, a dinner party, or a trip to a restaurant — is a great way to ensure that you'll have time to catch up.

Paper Letters
They're a bit outmoded now that text messaging and email are in vogue. But there's something very special about receiving a paper letter, whether handwritten or typed. Like the holiday letters that still live on, letters sent throughout the year can offer important updates on what's happening in your lives, and can be cherished as objects in ways email never can.

Wishing you an Independence Day filled with pride in our country and hoping you enjoy the 4th of July with family and friends.