A Giggle A Day
For thousands of years, versions of the saying “laughter is the best medicine” have emerged in religious, scientific, and popular literature—and for good reason. Laughter helps our neurological, physical, emotional, cognitive, and social health in multiple ways.
Laughter Research and Studies
Cross-cultural research on adolescent mental health and well-being has pointed to the importance of laughter in experiences of joy, well-being, and mental flexibility—along with young people’s feelings of belongingness, which are critical to emotional health.
Studies on the mental health of college students suggest that laughter helps students reduce stress and form social bonds, especially during the most stressful times of the academic year
Positive Health Effects of Laughter
Laughter has numerous positive health effects, both physical and psychological. Here are some of the key benefits:
1. Laughing benefits you neurologically.
Evolutionarily, laughter signals that everything is okay, and we can relax. Laughter is complex neurologically and engages many different parts of the brain. Depending on the duration and intensity of the laughter, the neurochemicals serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, and even endogenous opioids can be released bringing feelings of pleasure and calmness.
2. Laughing improves your physical health.
Laughter can reduce the subjective experience of pain. Likely, this is due to the endorphins and endogenous opioids that are created when a burst of good laughter is sustained for 20-30 minutes, a finding that is heightened if among a positive social group. Laughter has also been shown to decrease heart rate and blood pressure, relax muscle tension and is associated with improved immune functioning. It reduces the limbic “fight or flight” response and can reduce cortisol over time. Laughter can even strengthen and tighten your abs and enhance respiratory function. Further, deep laughter involves deep breathing, which can improve lung capacity and oxygenation.
3. Laughing increases your emotional well-being.
The increased neurotransmitters of serotonin and dopamine found with laughter increase our emotional well-being and mental health, boosting mood and creating physiological calming effects helping to ease anxiety.
4. Laughing benefits your cognitive function.
Even a short bout of laughter during the workday can allow people to think more clearly and creatively. Taking a few minutes here and there during your day to look at funny memes, trade jokes with your colleagues, or think about something funny that happened to you can translate to increased cognitive function and productivity.
5. Laughing impacts your social health.
Laughing evolved as a social event. Laughter is found in all cultures, though what someone finds funny varies by social group. The oxytocin released during laughter is an important neurochemical part of social bonding. If you laugh on a date, you’re more likely to have a second date. Social groups who laugh together develop strong bonds. Parents who laugh with their children tend to have better communication overall.
So, get laughing! Whether it’s “laugh therapy,” a weekly funny movie night, beginning a meeting with a G-rated joke, or fake laughing with someone until it becomes real, you have every reason to incorporate more laughter into your life to improve your health and well-being.
How the Mind Spot Can Help
Engage with your therapist for a “laugh therapy” or “laughter yoga” session. We offer a variety of counseling methods to help improve communication, boost positive coping skills and shift to a more positive outlook. Make an appointment with Cambrey Lindsay or one of our counselors today. Meet Our Counselors