Global Belly Laugh Day Date in the current year: January 24, 2025

Of course, laughter cannot cure all ailments, but it does have health benefits, both short-term and long-term. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter increases your oxygen intake, stimulates many internal organs such as the heart and lungs, and relieves muscle tension. It also increases your endorphin levels and lowers stress hormones, providing stress relief.

Laughter is also good for you in the long run because it boosts your immune system, relieves pain by causing the body to produce substances that act like natural painkillers, makes it easier to cope with difficult situations, reduces tension and anxiety, and improves mood and overall well-being. It also has social benefits: it helps us connect with other people, strengthens relationships and helps defuse conflicts.

Global Belly Laugh Day was created by Elaine Helle, a certified laughter yoga instructor. Laughter yoga is a practice that combines voluntary laughter with yogic breathing exercises (pranayama). It’s based on the scientific hypothesis that the body cannot distinguish between real and fake laughter, so even simulated laughter can have the same psychological and physiological benefits. The practice was developed in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, and Indian physician.

Helle came up with the idea for Global Belly Laugh Day in June 2005. She thought that we have so many different holidays celebrating different things, from love to flossing, so why don’t we celebrate laughter among those things? According to Helle, laughter yoga had opened her heart and brain to increased positive energy, and she wanted to share the benefits of laughter with people around the world.

The best way to celebrate Global Belly Laugh Day is to join The Belly Laugh Bounce Around the World by throwing up your hands and laughing out loud at 1:24 pm local time. In doing so, the contagious belly laugh will travel from one time zone to another, circling the globe and spreading positivity. This fun holiday has been celebrated on all seven continents, including Antarctica – isn’t that amazing?

Of course, there are many other things you can do to celebrate Global Belly Laugh Day. Smile when you wake up and then smile as much as you can throughout the day. Find a laughter yoga class near you. Read a funny book or watch your favorite comedy movie. Learn to find joy in the little things in life. Learn more about the health benefits of laughter and share what you’ve learned with others. And don’t forget to spread the word on social media using the hashtags #BellyLaughDay and #GlobalBellyLaughDay.

By the way, Global Belly Laughter Day is not the only international holiday dedicated to laughter. There’s also World Laughter Day, which is celebrated on the first Sunday in May. It was created in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria to promote laughter yoga and build a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter.