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Laugh It Out: Yes, Laughter Burns Calories
Hard laughs spike your heart rate and burn a sneaky 2-10 calories.
The facts
Laughing hard for 10–15 minutes can raise energy expenditure about 10–20 % and burn roughly 2–10 calories. That’s light, but real.
In a 2007 study published in International Journal of Obesity (corrected in 2014) researchers found that genuine laughter raised energy expenditure by 10–40 kJ (≈ 2–10 kcal) and heart rate by 10–20 % above rest.
In 2013, a review in The BMJ repeated the pre-correction figure, noting that 15 minutes of “genuine laughter” increased energy expenditure by as much as 167 kJ (≈ 40 kcal).
A 2022 trial in BMC Geriatrics classified laughter at ~2 METs (light activity) and, citing the older Buchowski data, referenced the same up-to-40 kcal estimate.
Why does it work?
Laughter rapidly contracts your diaphragm and abdominal muscles, forces deeper breaths, and nudges heart rate and oxygen consumption, small but measurable upticks in metabolic rate.
Those muscle contractions plus sympathetic arousal release β-endorphins, which stimulate nitric-oxide-mediated vasodilation.
Clocking in around 2 METs, a laugh is on par with slow walking or standing-desk work, nothing major, but it adds up over time.
How to implement it?
Stack laughs: Cue up a 10–15 minute comedy clip over lunch or on your commute.
Micro-doses: Swap doom-scrolling for a meme thread between meetings.
Make it social: Share a funny reel with a friend, contagious laughter lasts longer.
Trigger list: Keep a “go-to laugh” folder (clips, podcasts, stand-up bits).
Pair it: Laugh while walking or stretching to double the light-activity hit.
Your turn!
Try it today and see if your mood (and Apple Watch) notices.
That was your tip of the day. You’re welcome! 🤝
Mensletter Team.