Health & Wellbeing

7 Good Habits That Have a Surprising Effect on Our Health

Shai K.

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The body is an incredibly complex machine, attune to every little thing we do, eat or experience. We may not be aware of it, but we impact our health in myriad ways every day. Here are 7 things we may do, without even noticing, that have surprising medical and mental benefits, making you want to repeat them a whole lot more.

habits that benefit our health

1. Singing

When we sing, our brain releases hormones and endorphins that contribute to lowering our mental stress and anxiety, as well as reducing physiological pain. Studies on the subject found that singing contributes to lowering our blood pressure, increasing our cognitive abilities, strengthening the immune system and improving our memory. Various studies even found that singing helps the medical situation of Parkinson patients, improving their balance, their vocal abilities and their ability to swallow.

2. Crying

Crying is seen as a weakness by most. Something negative that shouldn't happen. But crying also has its unique advantages. When we cry, our body dumps the cortisol hormone, which causes an increase in our mental stress. By crying, we may be preventing issues such as insomnia, anxiety and weight gain. Crying even helps strengthen our immune system. The tears we shed also have a purpose and kill over 90% of the bacteria in the eyes and other toxins found on the face. They also prevent our eyes from drying out.

3. Kissing

Kissing is a natural remedy for headaches or menstrual pain, thanks to the dilating of blood vessels that occur during a kiss, which helps lower our blood pressure. A study on the subject has shown that a large amount of saliva secreted during a kiss helps the body fight gingivitis. When kissing we also operate rarely-used muscles in our neck and face that help tone them and slow down the aging process in these areas. So pucker up!

4. Creative writing

Believe it or not, creative writing is really good for you. It enhances your cognitive abilities, your memory, and your mental strength. A new study on the topic unveiled that creative writing, especially the kind that described our deepest thoughts and emotions, gives us a relief from physical pain. Researchers explained that the writing caused a reduction in hormone secretion, especially for hormones like cortisol that elevate our blood pressure and weaken our immune system.

5. Courtesy

Good manners aren't just good manners, they're healthy manners! When we are kind to those around us we release a hormone in our body called oxytocin, which makes chemicals that expand the blood vessels, thus reducing blood pressure and improving the overall health of the heart and the blood vessels. The hormone also fights free radicals in our blood system and so slows down the aging process of our internal organs.

6. Laughter

We all know that laughter is the best medicine, and it's astounding how many studies back that up. Laughter lowers our blood pressure, reduces our risk of stroke, reduces our mental stress and takes care of our heart. Laughter is also a great workout for our stomach muscles and even strengthens the white blood cells that play such an important role in our immune system.

7. Spending time with friends and family

It may sound sappy, but loneliness has been found to be no less detrimental to health than regularly smoking. Many studies have pointed to a strong relationship between good relations with friends and family and sleeping well better concentration and mental abilities and a stronger immune system. According to one of the studies on the subject, strong ties to family and friends can raise your chance of longevity by as much as 50%.