The Power from Within: Laughter and Health

We’ve all heard the old cliché that “laughter is the best medicine”, but is it actually true?

Philosopher John Morreall theorizes human laughter may have biological origins as a sort of shared experience and expression of relief at passing danger. The relaxation we feel after laughing may aid inhibiting the fight-or-flight response.

Laughter is a biological reaction of humans to moments or occasions of humor or outward expression of amusement. Laughter is subcategorized depending on the extent and pitch: giggles, clicks (which can be nearly silent), chortles, chuckles, hoots, cackles, sniggers and guffaws. Smiling is sometimes considered a mild silent form of laughter. Studies show laughter differs depending on the gender of the laughing person. Women tend to laugh in a more “sing-song” manner, while men more often grunt or snort. Infants begin laughing around 4 months of age.

Medical theories show links between improved health and well-being and laughter as it triggers the release of endorphins into the system. A study demonstrated the marked decrease of neuroendocrine and stress-related hormones during episodes of laughter, which provides support for the claim that humor can relieve stress. The act of laughter is a sort of social glue that bonds and holds us all together. But can it heal us? And if so, how?

Traditional Chinese Medicine maintains that organs and emotions are interrelated. For example, the heart is related to joy and happiness. A person with a healthy heart is more likely to feel these emotions than a person with a heart deficiency. The greater the deficiency, the less joy and happiness is felt. TCM also points out that when these emotions are not present, there is depression. In this view, depression means the heart is deficient. This explains why TCM treats depression by enhancing the heart.

While many researchers have targeted and tracked the brain mechanics of depression, anger, and fear, positive emotions have largely been overlooked. However, in recent years scientists have started to take laughter and humor much more seriously. Though still in early phases, studies show there are basically three main brain components to laughter.

One part, involving cognitive thinking, helps you ‘get the joke’. A second part, involving muscle movement, moves the muscles of the face to smile and laugh. The third part helps produce the happy emotions accompanying laughter.

From 2000-2002, RxLaughter collaborated with The Mattel Children’s Hospital @ UCLA, The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Research Institute & Hospital, and The UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center in a series of studies on patients in the Department of Pediatrics. The studies showed patients undergoing painful medical procedures had significantly better pain tolerance while laughing at comedy shows during their private, individual procedure. The treatments went by faster for them, and they were less afraid and less stressed.

Extensive research on laughter therapy began only after the 1976 New England Journal of Medicine publication of an article by Norman Cousins (later used as the first chapter in his book Anatomy of an Illness). Cousins was diagnosed in 1964 with ankylosing spondylitis (aka spondylitis, AS, or Bechterew Disease). Normally, the disease results in acute inflammation of the spine, and often affects other parts of the body as well. His case was so severe he was given a 1 in 500 chance of recovery and only a few months to live.

Cousins realized negative attitudes can play a role in illness, and surmised that perhaps positive thoughts and attitudes could have the opposite effect. He summarily left the hospital and checked into a hotel. There he took mega doses of Vitamin C and watched comedy films and television shows. He found that ten minutes of boisterous laughter resulted in 2 hours of pain free sleep. Cousins continued this routine until making a full recovery.

There is a growing field dubbed “laughter therapy” designed to harness the potential of laughter to promote healing and a healthy balance in well-being. Many forms of laughter therapy are being taught around the world today, and practiced by an increasing number of individuals seeking enlightenment and health through this age old human phenomenon.

Laughter Yoga, developed in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria of Mumbai, combines laughter exercises (simulated laughter) and laughter meditation along with yoga breathing practices in order to strengthen the immune system, unwind the negative effects of stress, combat depression, alleviate high blood pressure, and to improve self confidence, communication skills, and pain tolerance.

William Fry, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Stanford University Medical School reports that kindergarten students laugh on average 300 times a day, while adults only laugh approximately 17 times per day. Why this staggering difference? Are we perhaps too uptight? Too stressed? Do we let our day to day lives play too serious a role in living? We don’t stop laughing by growing older, but rather, maybe we grow old because we stop laughing. Humor isn’t merely telling a good joke, it’s the way we interact with and process the world around us. Laughter is the byproduct of this process and interaction. Maybe it’s time we interacted a little more.

So, a horse walks into a bar…

Author: Jase Donaldson