Actress Kate Hudson laughs at the Venice Film Festival. (Getty Images) Go ahead and laugh it up. Seriously. It might be good for you. A study at Oxford University found that laughter releases the same feel-good endorphins as exercise. Not only can those endorphins improve your mood, they also can relieve pain. The findings support the growing popularity of laughter-based yoga and therapy, which is popping up in cities from Atlanta to Columbus to Minneapolis. "It's nice to have Oxford...

Missing your summer glow? Feeling so white that you think you'll temporarily blind people? Here are 15 summer reminders that will get you past your pastiness in a hurry. (MORE: | ) ...

Most Livable Cities Honolulu, Hawaii is the first U.S. city on Mercer's list. Honolulu earned 28th worldwide. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) A new survey shows European cities dominate when it comes to quality of life. Mercer just released its 2012 Quality of Living Survey, and fifteen of the top 25 cities on list are in Europe. 1) Vienna, Austria2) Zurich, Switzerland3) Auckland, New Zealand4) Munich, Germany5) Vancouver, Canada6) Dusseldorf, Germany7) Frankfurt, Germany8) Geneva, Switzerland9) Copenhagen, Denmark10) Bern, Switzerland & Sydney,...

(Getty Images) The morning after having too much beer (or wine, or spirits), collegiates find the best cure is to start the day with more beer. (That's why those hair-of-the dog Sunday brunches are so popular.) A new study reports beer may cure more than a hangover. Japanese researchers say it could help fight off a winter cold. The Sapporo Medical University found the chemical humulone can curb the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Humulone is the chemical compound found in...

Life expectancy in the U.S. is now 78.5 years. Premature deaths have dropped 18 percent since 1990, and deaths from cardiovascular disease are down 34.6 percent. Cancer deaths are down 7.6 percent. (Getty Images) Americans are living longer, with fewer deaths from heart disease and cancer, but more chronic illnesses, an annual snapshot of the country's health shows. The 2012 America's Health Rankings highlight troubling levels of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and sedentary behavior. Medical advances are allowing more...

Besse Cooper, the woman who was listed as the world's oldest person died Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012 in a Georgia nursing home at age 116. In this photo from March 2011, she receives a kiss from Paul Cooper, her 42-year-old grandson. (AP Photo) Bad news, guys. The chances of making it to 100 are much greater if you're a woman. The 2010 Census found 80 percent of the 53,364 people age 100 and older are women, according to a report...

A pair of doctors believe rapidly cooling the body during a workout can be more beneficial to recovery than steroids, and they have the tool to prove it. Developed at Stanford University, a new hand-held device called CoreControl is becoming known as a way to cool the body rapidly during strenuous activity. Biologists H. Craig Heller and Dennis Grahn researched reasons why the body heats up during exercise and began devising a plan to reverse the rise in body temperature....

(Getty Images) You don't have to take your workout indoors just because the temperatures are cold. Exercising in colder weather has physical and emotional benefits. Summer's warm temps can make you more tired, faster. Cold weather, on the other hand, "stimulates your senses, tunes you in to your surroundings," fitness consultant Sean Burch tells Women's Health Mag. "It makes you feel alive." Doctors verify there's a medical reason behind those mood-lifting endorphins. "Because your body has to work harder in...

(Getty Images) America's health may be improving in some areas, but researchers say there's a lot of hard work ahead. The United Health Foundation has just released its new list of state health rankings. The rankings aren't based solely on weight or activity level. Researchers ranked the states based on a combination of four factors: behavior, community and environment, policy, and clinical care Vermont, Hawaii and New Hampshire take the honors as the healthiest states. But who falls to the...

(Getty Images) Junk food isn't just making your jeans tight. It could be contributing to your ballooning stress and anxiety. Researchers at the University of Montreal used mice to test the effects of high-fat foods on the brain. The researchers found the mice who ate junk food had "different chemical activity in their brains and exhibited more signs of withdrawal if they stopped eating it," reports the Huffington Post. Researchers say those same chemicals produced by the unhealthy food are...

(Nick Koudis/Photodisc/Getty Images) Long, Hot Showers Tired of dry, itchy, irritated skin as soon as the weather turns? Check out these tips from a dermatologist. Long, hot showers may relax your soul, but they’ll also dry out your skin. During the cold-weather months, take shorter showers and use lukewarm to semi-hot water, which won’t strip your skin of essential oils. I also recommend using a moisturizing unscented soap with a washcloth -- no loofah, no buff puff and no deodorant...

Obesity rates have increased 82 percent worldwide over the past two decades, according to the World Health Organization. (Flicker/colros) A new analysis of global health data shows that the years of life lost from obesity outnumber those lost by hunger. (MORE: ) A Sudanese girl looks after her malnourished brother earlier this year. (Getty Images) Data from the World Health Organization’s Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 was unveiled late last week and will be published in The Lancet. The...