The simple act of laughing does far
more than merely make us feel good.
In fact, the next time you have a
good belly laugh, consider that what you’re actually doing is giving yourself a
complete mind and body workout. David Goding discovers that laughter may really
be the best medicine. Seriously.
Laughing oxygenates the blood,
stimulates the metabolism, enhances mood, releases stress, improves
relationships and even increases your chances of career success. If you’re
serious about tapping into the wide range of health benefits offered by
laughing, you may like to think about joining a laughter club to learn how to
include some laughter therapy – also referred to as laughter yoga – into your
day to day life.
When we laugh it causes blood
pressure reduction, endorphins to kick in and our T-cell count to go up, just
for starters. People who laugh more live longer, are sick less often, have
better quality friendships and are generally more content than those who don’t
laugh very much.
Unfortunately, as a society we
laugh a lot less than we did 60 years ago and it’s not uncommon for many of us
to go through an ordinary week with little more than a barely audible snigger.
The good news, is that the skills of laughter can be learned. There doesn’t
even need to be anything particularly funny to laugh about.
It doesn’t come naturally to some
people but it’s like learning to bowl or swim – the more you do it the more
you’ll find it easier to do,” says Popp. “Even if you start by faking it,
you’ll soon find that you’re laughing for real. But even when you’re faking it
you’re getting the benefits.
Learning to Laugh
The practice of learning to laugh
for the therapeutic benefits – as well as for the fun of it – has become an
increasingly popular pursuit practiced in laughter clubs and laughter therapy
sessions, in parks, gardens, community centres and workplaces in many countries.
A typical ½ hour session involves groups of people trying out
various types of laughs, from belly laughs right through to a high pitched
snigger.
It’s not all about the humour –
surprisingly. It’s about making the sounds and motions of laughter and it gives
people a real chance to bond. You find that once you start to hear others laugh
it becomes infectious. Often there is nothing particularly funny at all, but by
laughing together you are lifting each others spirits.
The Benefits For the Mind
Laughing is a very complex brain
function that encompasses the entire cerebral cortex, releasing endorphins,
oxygenating blood vessels and relieving stress. Do it enough – even faking it –
and you’ll feel all the emotions and sensations associated with genuine
happiness, such as euphoria and contentment, as well as an increase in overall
energy levels.
Laughter helps release negative
emotions and pent-up tension, particularly anger, anxiety, fear and boredom. It’s great for anything that involves innovation and creativity.
Stress and anxiety restrict the mind, while laughter releases it.
Laughter also provides an important
distraction from everyday pressures, providing you with a valuable perspective
that allows you to concentrate on the things that really matter in your life.
For the Body
Dr Hunter Adams, portrayed by Robin
Williams in the movie ‘Patch Adams’, attempted to change the nature of
healthcare with a policy of always putting the patient first. He believed that
humour and laughing could heal and dramatically improve the quality of life for
those in hospital. And to a large extent he was right.
One of the first discoveries, by
laughter therapy pioneer, Norman Cousins, was that ten minutes of belly
laughing could relieve pain for up to two hours.
This occurs because laughter
releases two neuropeptides, endorphins and enkephalins – the body’s natural pain-suppressing
opioids.
For this reason, laughter has
proved to be highly beneficial in helping to manage the pain of arthritis as
well as other chronic conditions involving muscular pain. Research suggests
that laughter helps increase the number of virus killer cells, activated T
cells and B cells as well as the important immunity antibody, immunoglobulin A,
boosting immunity and speeding up recovery from illness.
Laughter is also an excellent
aerobic exercise.
Laughing for 10-15 minutes burns
the same amount of calories as you would find in a medium sized chocolate bar.
Laughter has also been found to
benefit the heart, relaxing the arteries, reducing blood pressure and
increasing blood flow for up to 45 minutes, comparable to aerobic exercise.
According to Dr Miller from the University of Maryland, laughing for 15 minutes
every day can significantly reduce your chances of suffering a heart attack.
For Relationships
Laughing with another person – your
partner, friend or family member – creates a bond of intimacy and trust. As
comedian Victor Borge put it, “laughter is the closest distance between two
people.” It also has the infectious ability to make those around you feel
happy.
When you laugh, you make yourself
a bit vulnerable with those you are with and when you make yourself vulnerable
it builds trust. We laugh 30 times more in the company of other
people. There often doesn’t need to be anything funny at all, it’s a way of
reaching out, breaking down barriers and making each other feel good.
Laughing can also make you appear
more attractive and create greater happiness within a relationship. We tend to
think of people who smile and laugh as more attractive, definitely. They are seen as more likeable, desirable and people simply want to spend time
with you.
For Success
Laughter is an important part of
effective and positive communication and as such can make a big difference to
how you are perceived in the workplace as well as your ultimate success.
We have this misguided belief that
unless you appear serious and stressed then you can’t be doing your job well. The opposite is true. People who laugh more are easier to deal
with. It enhances communication.
In fact, research conducted by researcher
Fabio Sala from the Hay Group’s McClelland Centre for Research and Innovation
found that people who laughed frequently got paid more than those who laughed
infrequently, received bigger bonuses and were thought to be more effective in
the workplace.
A 2007 US study which required
participants to laugh for 15 minutes per day for 15 consecutive days found that
levels of competency doubled. Interestingly, participants continued to show an
improvement for three months after the trial.
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