New Orleans (dpa) - Laughing at life is one of the best ways of ensuring it does not come to a premature end, doctors meeting in New Orleans were told recently.

Researchers have found that people who often laugh out loud and see the funny side of difficult situations are far less likely to have a heart attack than humourless individuals.

The study looked at the humour responses of 150 patients who had either suffered heart attacks or undergone treatment for blocked arteries.

A typical question among the 21 asked was how people would react if they went to a party where someone was wearing an identical piece of clothing.

The responses were compared with those of an identical number of age-matched healthy people who had no history of heart problems. The results showed that the heart patients were 40 percent less likely than their healthy counterparts to laugh in a variety of common situations.

Dr Michael Miller, director of the Centre for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, who led the research, said: "The old axiom that laughter is the best medicine appears to hold true when it comes to protecting your heart."

This was the first time a study had found direct evidence that laughter and an active sense of humour may influence heart disease, he said.

The team's findings were presented at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions meeting in New Orleans.

Compared with the group of healthy volunteers, heart patients generally showed less ability to laugh, even in positive situations. Said Miller: "We don't know why laughing protects the heart, but we do know that mental stress is associated with impairment of the endothelium, the protective barrier lining our blood vessels."

"This can cause a series of inflammatory reactions that lead to fat and cholesterol build up in the coronary arteries, and ultimately to a heart attack.""

Miller suggested that it may be a good idea for people to exercise their sense of humour, in the same way as they exercised their bodies to stay healthy. "This could be done, for instance, by reading something humorous or watching a funny video".

(From Sohu)