Just like Lady Gaga, “I live for the applause.” Out of 86,400 seconds, 1,440 minutes, and 24 hours in a day, a very small portion is dedicated to handing out applause. However, I believe that clapping, like laughing, is crucial to living a healthy life and therefore needs to be normalized.
That may seem silly because how can clapping your hands support healthy living? According to netmeds.com, clapping can actually improve the quality of life in multiple ways and it is heavily accredited to acupuncture pressure points in our palms.
Netmeds explains that out of our 340 points, clapping your hands activates 30+ acupressure points in our palms. Triggering those points is said to improve various organs such as kidneys, hearts, and even lungs. For example, it warms up the hands, which allows circulation to the palms. By improving circulation, our blood as well as pressure is regulated.
It can also be a coping mechanism to easing anxiety as Netmeds notes how the action of clapping actually sends positive signals up to the brain, which in turn can prevent depression and restlessness.
If applause is considered healthy for us, why don’t we do it more? We go throughout our day, with various accomplishments, and sometimes, never receive — or give for that matter — a round of applause.
I guess it could be argued that pointless praise creates an overzealous ego, but what if we turned it into a simple gesture perhaps of appreciation or even just for fun?
To understand this, I went a whole week, applauding for whatever I felt was necessary. I can say that it positively boosted my mood. Rarely was I down last week, and often — as every time I clapped — did I have a smile on my face.
I took into account how many people I could get to join in on my applause, and many typically did. Probably due to the pressure of going along with everyone else, yet I’d say it was energy boosting nonetheless.
I truly believe that if we decided to applaud the little things in life, I think we would become a little happier.
Obviously none of this is medical advice by me, but merely as an opinion on the matter and should be taken with a grain of salt.
