We all enjoy a good laugh. Infants naturally begin to laugh within months of their birth. It is as if we are all wired to laugh when we come across situations in life that we find humorous. Laughter not only feels good, it is good for us too. It is well known that laughter improves our mood, tends to decrease pain, and counteracts the harmful effects of stress.
While this clearly applies to laughter that is a natural and spontaneous response to events that we find to be funny, recent research suggests that feigned or artificially prompted laughter also produces important benefits for our mind and body. We can easily go through the motions and intend for ourselves to laugh just like we spontaneously do when something strikes us as very amusing. What has come to be called “laughter yoga” is a good example of how the benefits of laughter can be gained.
Research into the health impacts of intentionally generated sessions of laughter shows that it improves the balance of our nervous system, inhibits the stress response, and decreases potentially toxic hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Furthermore, the positive feelings that laughter produces tend to remain even after the cause for the laughter is gone.
Scientific research has confirmed that a laughter routine that is continued on a frequent basis produces many health benefits. People who are depressed or anxious usually have become less depressed or less anxious after this kind of intervention. People suffering from chronic pain often find their pain decreasing. Research subjects participating in these studies also become more satisfied with their lives and find their sleep more restful. A few research reports have even indicated that people in the early stages of dementia who were provided laughter therapy sessions not only became less anxious, their memory also tended to improve.
At the end of the article, you will find references to some of the research reports that support what I am saying here. But whether you take the time to read some of these reports or not, developing your own laughter routine should be fun to do, will be completely free, and it will be easy to accomplish. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try.
One of the simplest ways to start is to spend more time with people you enjoy and who laugh a lot. Another way is to search out some of the many internet sites, TV programs or movies that you have found to be humorous and very likely to make you laugh. For example, if you search the internet, you will find sites that list movies highly rated for their humor. You could also search for videos of hilarious antics of animals, or some very funny videos of crazy activities people are sometimes involved in. Free recordings of stand-up comedy acts are also readily available. Obviously, there are many possibilities for creating your own personal routine if you set your mind to it.
The goal would be to find things which really “tickle your funny bone” and get in the habit of using them on a regular basis. You might pick certain days and certain times of the day that you could devote a half hour or so for this purpose. This should not only be a lot of fun, well designed and well replicated scientific research suggests that both your mental and physical health will be the better for your efforts.
References
Here are just a few of the many research studies I found to be particularly interesting:
Sanchez JG, Echeverri LF, et al, Effects of a Humor Therapy Program on Stress Levels in Pediatric Inpatients. Hospital Pediatrics 2017; 7: 46-53
Yazdani M, Esmaeilzadeh M, et al, The Effect of Laughter Yoga on General Health among Nursing Students. Iranian J Nursing and Midwifery Research 2014; 19: 36-40
Song MS, Park KM, et al, The Effects of Laughter Therapy on Moods and Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Staying at Care Facilities in South Korea. J Korean Gerontol Nurs 2013; 15: 75-83
Hsieh CJ, Chang C, et al, Empirical Study of the Influence of a Laughing Qigong Program on Long-Term Care Residents. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 165-173
Here are two review articles that summarize and analyze the results of hundreds of controlled research studies examining the benefits of programs of humor and laughter:
Vanderwal N, Kok RN, Laughter-Inducing Therapies: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Social Science and Medicine; 232: 471-488
Mora-Ripoli R, Potential Health Benefits of Simulated Laughter: a Narrative Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Future Research. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2011; 19: 170-177
Science and Spirit 