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Benefit
#9
Laughter boosts
cardiovascular fitness by lowering blood pressure and heart rate.
It also reduces pain perception, stimulates blood flow, strengthens
the immune system, and reduces levels of hormones that create stress--all
of which could have positive effects on the person's creativity
and productivity.22
These physiological effects translate to lower health-care costs,
less sick leave and absenteeism.
Few people do
a great job when they are stressed out. The most productive workplaces
have at least ten minutes of laughter every hour, says Barbara Glanz,
author of Care Packages For The Workplace. The amount of laughter
is a good indication of the morale and productivity.23
There is no
evidence that learning to lighten up reduces employee interest in
working. Actually, the opposite occurs. According to Paul McGhee,
author of The Laughter Remedy, as job satisfaction increases, employees
work more and become more efficient at remaining effective under
stressful conditions that used to disrupt work.24
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