The Healing Power of Laughter: Laugh Your Way to Better Health
/By DeLois Weeks, RN PhD
Why is Laughter so Good for the Body?
- Helps Treat Insomnia
- Improves Health
- Improves Immunity
- Boosts Memory
- Enhances Creativity & Problem Solving Skills
- Helps Teat Depression & Anxiety
Psalm 16:8-11 (ESV) “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Laugher is Strong Medicine for the Mind and Body
“A sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools to make certain that our daily mood and emotional state support good health.”
There’s an old adage that says: “laughter is the best medicine”
Laughing Has Wide Ranging Health Benefits
- Laughter Relaxes the Whole Body
- A hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress leaving muscles relaxed for about 45 minutes
- Laughter Boosts the Immune System by:
- Decreasing stress hormones, increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, which improves resistance to disease
- Laughter Triggers Release of Endorphins
- Endorphins (natural feel-good chemical) promote overall sense of well-being and can temporarily relieve pain
- Laughter protects the heart by improving the function of blood vessels and increasing blood flow, which helps protect against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems
Mental Benefits of Laughter
- Research has shown that intentionally producing smiles and laughter moves brain activity towards spontaneous happiness
- We can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when we’re laughing
- Laughter Improves our ability to relax and recharge
- Increases energy, helps us stay focused and accomplish more during your day
- Humor Shifts Perspective
- Enables us to see situations more realistically--less threatening light
- A humorous perspective helps avoid feeling overwhelmed
- Lifts burdens, inspires hope
- Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring mind and body back into balance than a good laugh
- With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for overcoming problems, enhancing relationships, and supporting physical and emotional health
Ways to Start Laughing More
- Move toward laughter
- Routinely find the when you hear it humor in everyday
- Laughter is more events beneficial when shared because it gives opportunity to laugh more
- Bring humor into conversations
- Spend time with fun, playful people who laugh easily
- Learn to laugh at yourself and at life’s absurdities
- Routinely find the humor in everyday events
- Think of the funniest thing that happened to you and laugh
- Smile—smiling is the beginning of laughter— like laughter it’s contagious
- Pioneers in “laugh therapy,” find it’s possible to laugh without even experiencing a funny event
- When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling
- Count your blessings—literally make a list
- The simple act of considering the good things
- in our lives will distance us from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter
- When we’re in a state of sadness, we have further to travel to get to humor and laughter!
Laughter is a Survival Tool
“It helps us de-stress, lear, cope, transcend, recharge, renew, hope, optimize, enjoy, create, meditate, digest, exercise, connect, engage, energize, oxygenate, release, persist, and preserve. ”