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“We don’t laugh because we’re happy, we’re happy because we laugh.”
- William James
Would you like to be able to see the funny side to life’s difficulties? This isn’t always easy, but a good sense of humour can help us accept the inevitable, handle the unexpected with ease, and come out of most difficulties with a smile on our face!
Laughing helps combat the physical effects of stress, anxiety, anger, grief, and depression, being similar to crying as a way of releasing pent-up emotions.
Interestingly the body can’t distinguish between real and fake laughter. So, even if you don’t feel like laughing, “faking it” has the same beneficial effect!
What happens when we laugh?
When we laugh our whole body gets a workout, causing the muscles in our face and body to stretch, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues.
It’s thought that hearty laughter can burn calories equivalent to several minutes on a rowing machine or exercise bike. William Fry, a laughter pioneer, claimed it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter.
Having a good giggle can make you feel better in a number of ways:
- Reducing stress, anxiety and anger
- Elevating mood
- Relaxing our muscles
- Lowering blood pressure
- Boosting the immune system
- Improving muscle tone
- Boosting oxygen levels in the blood
- Connecting us with others
Is there any scientific evidence?
The difficulty is that most studies on laughter have been small, and with this type of research it’s very difficult to determine cause and effect. If we were to say, “People who laugh more are less likely to be sick,” is this because they laugh more? Or, because they are healthy, and therefore more likely to laugh?
#1 A study published in the American College of Cardiology found that laughing increased blood flow by more than 20%, a similar effect to that of aerobic activity, and decreased 35% during mental stress. The positive effect of laughing lasted for 30-45 minutes.
#2 Another study conducted at the Loma University Medical Centre, looked at the effects of laughter in 10 healthy males. Five subjects watched an hour-long comedy, with blood samples revealing that cortisol (hormone released when under stress) in the comedy group had decreased more rapidly in comparison to the control group.
#3 Research also suggests that the level of natural killer cells (attack virus’ and tumour cells) are increased through laughter. These cells are suppressed if the body suffers consistent long-term stress.
Laughter therapy
Laughter therapy sessions are becoming more and more common worldwide. The first laughter club was founded by an Indian physician who was convinced of the health benefits of laughter. He is reported to have told his five friends, “Fake it until you make it,” as they met in a Mumbai Park for one of their laughter sessions.
If you’re fortunate enough to have a laughter club in your local area, would you consider giving it a go? It seems that those who attend are positively brimming over with confidence in this new therapy!
If communal laughter therapy isn’t really your thing, try to create opportunities to laugh more in everyday life:
- Regularly watch funny movies.
- Read comics or humorous books.
- Spend time with people who make you relaxed, and who laugh often themselves.
- Ask others to share their funny stories and experiences with you.
- Bring humour into your home by telling stories, jokes, or singing silly songs with your kids.
- Try to find the funny side wherever possible, rather than complaining about your frustrations.
Have you been involved in laughter therapy? How do you maintain a positive attitude everyday?
“If you can laugh at it, you can live with it.”
- Erma Bombeck
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this is a good way to put it. as u can tell by my email address i love to laugh!
this definetly helps make you feel better and is great for your muscles in the stomache. when you laugh so much that it hurts that means u are gaining muscle in that area. i like this article
Hey Samantha,
LOL re email address, I love it!! I’m sure you are making others laugh too with that email address, double bonus!!