Laughter, Our Best Medicine
Posted: Sunday, June 06, 2010
by Angela Carter
Coastal Health Information Services
Is laughter really good medicine? Well, in 1996 in Japan there was a study published that says that laughter does reduce your pain levels. Twenty-six women with rheumatoid arthritis went to a hospital in Tokyo to have their blood drawn, but instead of receiving medical treatment, they were given tickets to a small theater to watch a performance of traditional Japanese comic storytelling. After the performance the women reported that their pain levels were greatly reduced. Also, their blood levels of cortisol and epinephrine had dropped, suggesting a reduce in stress. And on top of all that their levels of interleukin-6 and interferon gamma indicators of inflammation, had also dropped. It looks like that old saying "laughter is the best medicine," is true and now there is proof that it is. Although, the research is far from conclusive, (and there are some critics who say that the research has not been done very well), there are several small studies that have found a connection between laughter and improved cardiovascular and immune system health. If you add these effects to those everyone knows about reducing stress and improved moods, then laughter may very well be good for us. Personally, I would much rater laugh then have to take another pill. We have known about the benefits of laughter for a long time. In Ireland there is a saying, "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book." In the early 1300's there was a professor of surgery, Henri de Mondeville, who wrote, "Let the surgeon take care to regulate the whole regimen o the patient's life for joy and happiness, allowing his relatives and special friends to cheer him, and by having someone tell him jokes. The surgeon must remind the patient that the body grows fat from joy and thin from sadness." Think about it, when we have a friend or loved one who is not feeling well or who is recovering from a major surgery or illness, don't we usually go and find the funniest get well card? I know that I do. We also tell others that we are going to "cheer-up" our friend or loved one.
Since Norman Cousins self-healing using laughter, there have been many studies done to test his claims. In one study, performed by Dr. Margaret Stuber at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA, where she had children watch a funny videos before, during, and after putting their hands in ice cold water. The kids were actually able to better tolerate the water when they laughed then when they didn't. These studies, like this one, have built a preliminary case for laughter's therapeutic effects, and who knows, maybe the next time you go to the doctor, they will hand you a funny book or video instead of a prescription. Wouldn't that be nice for a change?There were other studies done by the Japanese, that have explored the benefits of laughter for those suffering with rheumatoid arthritis. One, published in 2005, showed that laughter causes the blood level of growth hormone, usually higher in people with rheumatoid arthritis and thought to be a contributing factor in joint pain and swelling, to drop significantly after a period of hearty laughing. In yet another study published in 2006, found that blood levels of interleukin-6, which is an inflammation-causing molecule, decreased in people with rheumatoid arthritis after a period of laughing. And in the same study, the levels of TNF-alpha, another inflammation causing molecule that plays a major role in rheumatoid arthritis, also had decreased after laughing, but only in those with rheumatoid arthritis that could be controlled. Laughter does seem to have an affect, even if it is only temporary, on several molecules involved in rheumatoid arthritis, as suggested by these studies.
There have been more studies done that have focused on other benefits of laughter. There is one doctor who has been at the forefront of the study of laughter for many years, Dr. Lee Berk. He has been examining whether laughter has the power to bring about a wide variety of health benefits, and in 2001 he and his colleagues found an increase in the natural killer cells and other immune system cells in the blood of those who watched a funny video. Stress, is known to decrease these levels of cells.
In two more studies, that were performed at the University of Maryland, have clarified laughter's effect on the cardiovascular system. In 2001, 150 people who had had heart attacks or bypass surgery were compared with 150 people who had not had heart problems, these people were the control group. This study showed that those people who didn't have heart problems, were more likely to look at everyday events and life in general, with a more humorous and comical perspective. Could it be that this means that it is possible that laughter protects heart health? It would seem so. In 2006 there was yet another study done using healthy volunteers that were shown either a funny movie or a tense movie. Before and after these movies, blood flow was measured, and it showed an increase of 22% during laughter and a decrease of 35% during the mental stress brought on by the tense movie.
There just isn't enough evidence about the benefits of laughter to compel the doctors to start giving out prescriptions for laughter instead of prescriptions for pills and not only that, but researchers are not even sure what causes the benefits you get from laughing. Laughter is an aerobic exercise, at least that's according to a study published in 2007, that says that laughter, genuine laughter, causes a 10-20% increase in expended energy and heart rates over the resting heart rates and expended energy levels. This could be the greatest contributing factor to good health, according to some researchers. Acting as a positive emotion, laughter distracts your mind form the pain and negative emotions including anger and guilt, giving you the feelings of power and hope, enabling you to keep or regain control of a stressful situation. Laughter helps reduce stress by focusing on the positive emotions instead of the negative. Reducing stress is a good thing because in countless studies it has been shown that stress can raise blood pressure and decrease the immune system's ability to function properly. Those of us with arthritis sometimes will find that our symptoms will get worse with the amount of stress we are experiencing.
Bringing people together socially is another benefit of laughter helping to reduce our stress even more. "Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter, the more bonding occurs within the group," according to what a cultural anthropologist, Mahadev Apte, wrote.
It's hard to find laughter in life when we are bogged down with grief, sadness, frustration and anxiety. Laughter is cheap, and humor is all around us, all we have to do is learn to see it. Put more laughter in your life using these few simple suggestions:
- You can watch or listen to funny T. V. shows, movies or even radio programs. There is a radio show I like to listen to called "Dumb Crook News" about some of the funniest things people have done when they were doing illegal things and got caught. You'll also find lots of comedians at comedy clubs or at the theaters, on video, or T. V. or the radio. Finding something that is truly hilarious is the easiest way to get started on your journey to laughing more.
- Get out and socialize. Another study in 1989 showed that people were 30 times more likely to laugh in a social setting then when they were alone. Just by having others around you could mean that you would laugh more than if you were to be by yourself. Go to movies, comedy clubs, dinner parties, game nights, and any other social events that will get you out and maybe even get you to laugh more.
- Don't take your life so seriously. Look for humor in your everyday experiences, even when you're frustrated. Who knows you may even find yourself being silly and more lighthearted, giving yourself and those around you something to laugh about.
- Spend more time around kids. They can be very comical, on purpose or even when they don't intend to be. They will laugh at just about anything, and laughing is contagious. If you don't have children in your family, you could volunteer at a preschool or playground. Pets can be another way of promoting laughter and can be useful when there are no children around.
- You could also try faking laughter. Even if you don't feel like laughing, you could pretend to laugh, getting some health benefits from it and besides, who knows, you might even find yourself laughing for real. The principle behind this is a practice called "yogie laughter" or "laughing meditation," and was developed by a physician from India, Dr. Madan Kataria, he is the founder of a number of "laughing clubs" around India. For real, there are now around 5,000 laughing clubs in over 40 countries, there might even be one in or at least near where you live.
There are two different groups of laughter clubs, the World Laughter Tour and Laughter Yoga and are led by people who have been trained in making the laughter experience helpful. When you go to one of these clubs, you will find yourself being instructed to make some kind of laughing sound, such as "Ho, ho, ha, ha" or maybe some other sound that resembles laughing. It might even include making silly faces at each other, anything that will promote laughing.
While, you might find it strange to laugh by yourself, in a group you will find it much easier when others are laughing. When one person starts to laugh it can make everyone else laugh with them and if you're worried about what others will think if you're laughing, remember, they'll be laughing with you soon. You can think of it this way, you're helping yourself as well as those around you, all at the same time.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Interesting physiological facts about laughter. It does make the whole world look different, and problems seem smaller. Faking it has never worked for me, though, alas!I know what you mean about faking it. It never really worked well for me. I have smiled alot and made other people who were grouchy or who were sad smile as well. Laughter is contagous though, when one person starts to laugh the whole room will be laughing. At least that's been my experience.
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