Watching your favourite comedies could help you burn up to 120 calories an hour - yes, seriously

Comedy fans who have already given up on their new year’s resolution to keep fit can tone up by watching some of their favourite shows, research claims.

It suggests that intense laughter can help people burn as many as 120 calories an hour.

Dr Helen Pilcher, of the Comedy Research Project, claimed chuckling at sitcoms could give viewers’ muscles a workout.

Different intensities of laughter give a range of results, the report compiled by Pilcher – alongside Timandra Harkness for television channel Dave – showed.

Sniggering can burn up to 10 calories per hour.

But, the so-called howler – described by the researchers as “flat out, uncontrollable, roll on the floor laughter” – is said to burn up to 120 calories an hour.

We’re not sure how often we have a “howler”, but we’ll happily take that amount of calorie-burning…*goes home and has a serious Netflix binge*

Pilcher said: “This report raises the joyous possibility that watching comedy shows can help you to shape your six pack by targeting internal oblique muscles more effectively than sit-ups.

“I definitely felt more toned after watching hours of TV comedies.”

Next question – what about crying really intensely at TV?

Because if there’s a way that watching all our shows could work our muscles, then that would be great…