The Power of Laughter to
Improve Your Health
Laughter therapy advocates take the proverb
“a cheerful heart does good like medicine,” literally. And they practice what
they preach, using the body’s natural response to humor to heal itself. It’s
their contention that laughter allows one to release negative emotions like
anger, fear and boredom and helps one to achieve clarity and harmony by relieving
excess tension. Laugh if you must, but the results of recent scientific studies
indicate they’re onto something.
Henri de Mondeville, a 14thcentury French surgeon, was an early laughter therapy practitioner who used it
to help patients recover from surgery. Martin Luther King used a form of
laughter therapy in his pastoral counseling of depressed people. And author
Norman Cousins details how laughter therapy helped him manage symptoms ofBechterew's disease—a vicious form of arthritis— in his book Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. Says
Cousins, “I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly
laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of
pain-free sleep.”
Benefits of Laughter
The Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) recently published a study indicating that laughter therapy
can improve the quality of life of patients with chronic medical problems. According
to the report, laughter provides immediate relief for such patients. Below are
the major health benefits that the study cites:
- Heightened interferon levels, which improve one’s ability to
fight illness and facilitate healing.
- Reduction of stress hormones that constrict blood vessels and
suppress immune activity.
- Relaxation of tightened muscles.
- Diversion of attention from persistent aches and pains.
- Massage-like effect on the internal organs. (Especially beneficial
for those unable to perform physical exercises, like the elderly and the
disabled.)
- “Cleansing” of the lungs. (Especially beneficial for patients
suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.)
Laughter and the Brain
According to neurophysiology studies,
laughter is linked with the activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—the
area that produces endorphins after a good meal, an orgasm and at the instant
that we get a joke. Not only do endorphins produce a natural “high,” they
strengthen the immune system, reduce pain, speed recovery from illness and
relax the body.
Herbert Lefcourt, a psychologist at the University
of Waterloo in Canada, has tested the hypothesis that laughter can change one’s
emotional responses to stress. Results of his studies show that the ability to recognize
and appreciate humor can interrupt negative stress responses.
Laughing also helps to distract people from physical
and psychological pain, the therapeutic effects of which should not be
underestimated.
Laughter and the Heart
Laughter directly alters one’s biochemical
state. It increases attentiveness, the heart rate, and the pulse rate. Those
who laugh heartily and regularly have fewer blood pressure problems than the
average individual. After a good belly laugh, blood pressure increases, then returns
to normal levels. Breathing also becomes deeper, improving the circulation of oxygen
enriched-blood and nutrients throughout the body.
A good belly laugh has been shown to increase
the production of the body’s very own infection-fighting antibodies. This can
help in preventing the arteries from hardening, which may lead to severe
conditions such as angina, heart attack, and stroke.
According to a study conducted at the
University of Maryland Medical Center, laughter and an active sense of humor
may help prevent heart attack. The study found that people with heart disease
are 40% less likely to laugh at something funny, compared to people the same
age with healthy hearts.
Numerous studies point up the connection
between stress, negative emotions and heart disease. People who are chronically
hostile have a greater likelihood of suffering a heart attack. Those with anxious,
stressed-out lifestyles are at a greater risk for blockages of the coronary
arteries. And depressives are two-and-a-half times more likely to suffer from heart
disease, compared to individuals who lead normal lives and laugh regularly.
Laughter and Diabetes
A study published in the International
Journal of Molecular Medicine has shown that laughter can help lower blood
sugar levels after a meal.
Keiko Hayashi, PhD, RN, of Japan’s University
of Tsukuba, performed a study on people with type 2 diabetes. Blood samples were
collected from subjects before and two hours after a meal. On the first night
of the study, the subjects attended a 40 minute long lecture after dinner. On the
second night, they attended a 40 minute comedy show.
Examination of the blood samples collected
revealed that the participants’ blood sugar level was considerably higher after
the lecture, and much lower after the comedy show. The study clearly
demonstrates that laughter has a direct, beneficial effect on blood sugar
levels.
Laughter and Asthma
Laughter therapy is contraindicated for individuals
suffering from asthma. According to a study presented at the American Thoracic
Society’s annual meeting in 2005, nearly 2/3 of people with asthma reported
asthma attacks that were triggered by laughter. Stuart Garay, MD, Clinical
Professor of Medicine at NYU Medical Center, states that the triggering
laughter doesn’t have to be deep—it can be a chuckle or even a giggle.
During the 18 month study it was noted that
exercise-induced asthma was common among patients who reported laughter-triggered
asthma attacks. According to the study, 61% of those who suffered from
laughter-induced asthma reported exercise as a trigger as well. Andrew Ries,
MD, indicated that this is probably because both laughter and exercise increase
airway movement and produce intense emotional reactions.
Types of Laughter Therapy
Humor Therapy
In humor therapy, comedic stimuli such as
movies, TV shows, books and stories are used to encourage both spontaneous laughter
and discussion of personal experiences. This kind of therapy may be either
individual or group-based. (Group humor therapy has the potential to be less
effective, because not everyone finds the same things funny.)
The humor therapy process is typically facilitated
by a health care professional. It is critical that this facilitator empathizes
with the participants, and is sensitive enough to laugh with rather than at
them.
Clown Therapy
Clown therapy is an offshoot of laughter
therapy based on “humanitarian clowning.” Patch Adams, MD, founder of the
Gesundheit organization, is one of the leading proponents of clown therapy. He
is actively involved in organizing clown visits to hospitals, prisons, refugee
camps—even war zones—to provide those in need with medicine, food and laughter.
Individuals that are trained in clown
therapy, hospital procedures and hygiene perform and spread a message of laughter,
joy and compassion. In the case of hospitalized children, clown therapy has
been found to increase patient cooperation and decrease patient and parental
anxiety. Many children require less sedation after receiving clown therapy. For
some there is a reduction in pain and an increased immune function.
Laughter Meditation
Laughter meditation is not as different from
traditional meditation as one might think. The main difference is that in
practicing the former, one uses laughter as a means of focus and concentration.
The practitioner of laughter meditation doesn’t look for external sources of humor,
but draws inspiration from within the self.
Through a 15-minute three-stage process of
stretching, laughing and meditative silence, one’s inner laughter is brought to
the surface. In the first stage, one stretches all the major muscles groups without laughing. In the second, one gradually
begins to smile, progressing gradually to a full belly laugh. Lastly, one cuts
the laughter off abruptly, and with eyes closed, takes deep, silent breaths. The
resulting calm is reputed to be highly therapeutic.
Laughter Yoga & Laughter
Clubs
Laughter yoga combines traditional yoga poses
with the Buddhist technique of “forced laughter.”
The structure of laughter yoga sessions prescribes
a series of laughing exercises that take place over a 30-45 minute span. Sessions
are led by a trained laughter yoga specialist. Laughter yoga is used as both supplemental
and preventative therapy, and can be performed either one-on-one or as a part
of a group.
Therapeutic laughter clubs are an extension
of laughter yoga. Started in 1995 by an Indian doctor named Madan Kataria, the
first laughter club met at a local park and numbered under 50. Now there are
over 5000 such clubs worldwide. Laughter club participants gather to take
advantage of the infectious, group-psychological effect that takes place when
people laugh together. Many laughter clubs rely on a structured format that
incorporates yoga breathing exercises.
