This is how laughter can improve your health
Laughter has been a prescription for what ails us for thousands of years.
Using humor to relieve pain and stress has roots as far back as the 14th century, Dr. Jane Riffe, a former West Virginia University Extension Specialist, told Michigan State University.
And hospitals would bring in clowns to cheer up children who had fallen ill starting in the early 1900s.
Since then, doctors have learned more about why and how laughter can be medicinal.
Just a few minutes a day can make a difference, according to Dr. Michael James Sass Jr., a primary care physician at Geisinger Lewisburg. “There’s no downside to laughter,” he explained.
“This ‘medicine’ is quick, free and accessible anywhere, with no negative side effects,” Sass added. “Besides, it’s fun.”
A quick mood boost
Laughter relaxes muscles, improves mood and lowers stress and anxiety: conditions that are risk factors for life-threatening disease and premature death.
It lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol – a single session may reduce levels by 37 percent, according to UCLA Health – and raises the “feel good” hormones dopamine and serotonin, according to Harvard Health.
It also increases our levels of endorphins, hormones that help to relieve pain.
A 2011 study found that people who watched funny videos after putting a freezing wine sleeve over their arm were able to stand the cold longer.
“The release of endorphins can heighten the body’s natural pain-relief mechanisms, which can be especially helpful for managing chronic discomfort and enhancing overall mood,” said Sass.
Health benefits that are no laughing matter
Laughing can activate immune cells and antibodies in the blood that Sass said help to fight off infections.
And specialized white blood cells that fight cancer become more active after we laugh, too.
After showing people a funny video, a 2008 trial showed a difference in the activity of natural killer cells in people who laughed out loud versus those who just looked amused.
It’s not just immune health that benefits, either.
Laughing helps us get more oxygen and breathe deeper, improving blood circulation and organ function and slowing heart rate.
People who laugh regularly have a lower risk of heart attack, according to Geisinger.
“When we get all this oxygen to our organs, our heart rate decreases, brain fog can dissipate,” psychologist Dr. Grace Tworek told the Cleveland Clinic. “It’s the opposite of the stress response. Increased oxygen can help you think more clearly and just allow your body to let go.”
The laugh diet
Laughing may help people to lose weight, as well.
Just 10 to 15 minutes can burn up to 40 calories, according to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
It helps keep blood sugar levels down, Sass said.
“A good comedy won’t treat diabetes, but it can slightly dampen the crazy sugar spike after you eat birthday cake,” he said.
