People who laugh more can better tolerate physical and emotional pain.

Although laughter is a crucial part of human nonverbal communication, it has received less attention than it deserves in both experimental and observational literature.

Laughter is associated with feelings of well-being and elevated affection, an immediate explanation for which could be the release of endorphins.

The study’s results show that pain thresholds are significantly higher after laughter. This pain tolerance effect is attributed to laughter itself and not simply a change in positive affect.

Researchers concluded that laughter, through an opioid-mediated endorphin effect, may play a crucial role in social bonding.