 I was thinking about the belly laughter children have — even children who grow up in difficult settings can still be silly — and wondering why we laugh less in adulthood. Stress and responsibility surely play a role and the silly expectation that adults are just more serious. But what if we made an effort to let go and laugh more? If you can do one good thing for your health today, find something funny and laugh.
I stumbled upon an article in The New Yorker a while back on “The Laughing Guru.” Dr. Madan Kataria, physician and author of the book Laugh for No Reason, says you can even fake laughter and get the same health benefits.
Kataria is heading an international movement that promotes laughter as a cure for just about everything. He and his followers feel that during any minute of any day there is an opportunity to laugh, and that if one person starts, others will join in. The act of laughter is contagious. There are laughter yoga clubs being set up all over the world because of this movement — and the key is that laughter doesn’t have to start with humor. You’ve heard the expression “fake it to make it.” Well, it works with laughing, too.
Here are some of the health benefits I found while researching laughter:
- decreases stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine
- increases the activity of our immune system
- reduces pain
- improves blood pressure
I’ve been trying to laugh more in my own life and it sure does brighten things up. Here are some of my favorite funny quotes from women:
“The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.” – Helen Hayes, age 73
“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb … and I’m also not blond.” – Dolly Parton
“I’m not going to vacuum ‘till Sears makes one you can ride on.” – Roseanne Barr
As we get older, it may be more difficult to find a moment to simply break down giggling, but don’t be afraid to let your guard down. Thinking of the Dali Lama smiling and giggling in serious meetings makes me giggle. Kataria is quoted in The New Yorker as saying, “Laughter is a choice … A connector of people. No barriers. No language.” I whole-heartedly agree.
To see Kataria and his followers in action, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEfjVnYkqM. If you are interested in learning more about the connection between your emotions, health, and stress, we have several articles for you to explore.
References and further reading:
Khatchadourian, R. 2010. The laughing guru. The New Yorker, August 30th, 52-64.
Berk, L.S, et al. 1989. Neuroendrocrine and stress hormone changes during mirthful laughter. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 298(6), 390-396.
Bennett, M, et al. 2003. The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity. Alternatives Therapies in Health and Medicine, 9(20), 38-45. URL: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=nurs_fac_pub&sei-redir=1#search=%22berk%20mirthful%20laughter%20natural%20killer%20cells%22 (accessed 07.15.11).
Berk, L. & Tan, S. 1989. Eustress of mirthful laughter modifies natural killer cell activity. Clinical Research, 37, 115.
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2010, April 26). Body's response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 15, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/04/100426113058.htm
Cogan, R, et al. 1987. Effects of laughter and relaxation on discomfort thresholds. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 10(2), 139-144. URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/m23316288l35852l/ (accessed 07.15.11).
University of Maryland Medical Center. University of Maryland School of Medicine study shows laughter helps blood vessels function better. URL: http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/laughter2.htm |