Why Laughter May Be the Best Pain Medicine

Laughing with friends releases feel-good brain chemicals, which also relieve pain, new research

indicates.

Until now, scientists haven't proven that like exercise and other activities, laughing causes a release of so-called endorphins.

"Very little research has been done into why we laugh and what role it plays in society," study researcher Robin Dunbar, of the University of Oxford, said in a statement. "We think that it is the bonding effects of the endorphin rush that explain why laughter plays such an important role in our social lives."