From tying knots in handkerchiefs to writing on our hands, we'll try anything to avoid forgetting something important.

But a study has found that laughter could be the best way of improving memory.

U.S. researchers say older people are more likely to remember something if they have been laughing.

This is because laughter reduces stress levels - and stress can have a negative effect on memory, ABC News reports.

Scientists at Loma Linda University, in California, asked 20 healthy adults to watch an amusing video for 20 minutes.

At the same time, another group was asked to sit calmly without watching a film.

Following this, both groups performed a memory test and had saliva samples taken and tested for the stress hormone cortisol.

The results showed that the people who had watched the funny video performed better in the short-term memory test than those who had not been laughing.

They also revealed that the levels of cortisol in the saliva of people who had been laughing were much lower.

‘Learning ability and delayed recall become more challenging as we age,’ study author Gurinder Bains told ABC News.

‘Laughing with friends or even watching 20 minutes of humour on TV, as I do daily, helps me cope with my daily stressors.’

He added that people who are less stressed tend to have a better memory.

This is because laughter increases the level of endorphins in the body and this sends dopamine to the brain, providing a feeling of happiness and reward.

This changes the activity of brain waves resulting in improved memory, the researchers say.

Written by Emma Innes, News Retrieved From:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2609427/Could-laughter-best-way-improving-memory-Older-people-better-short-term-recall-watching-comedy.html