The Healing Power of Laughter
Ten years ago, I received a call from someone close to me. She shared how her second pregnancy brought her immense sadness due to her husband’s financial struggles. I encouraged her and gave her some money to start buying baby essentials. When she called back to thank me, her excitement was evident—she was screaming and laughing with joy.
By the time she visited the clinic again, her blood pressure, which had been a concern for her doctors, had significantly decreased! This experience opened my eyes to the profound impact that laughter and happiness can have on our health. As the Book of Proverbs 17:22 states, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Laughter is indeed powerful medicine. It brings people together and triggers positive physical and emotional changes in the body. It strengthens the immune system, boosts mood, reduces pain, and protects against the harmful effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more reliably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh.
Humour lightens burdens, inspires hope, connects individuals, and keeps them focused and alert. It also helps release anger and fosters forgiveness. With such healing and renewing power, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a valuable resource for overcoming challenges, enhancing relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. Plus, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.
Laughter makes you feel good, and the positive emotions linger even after the laughter subsides. Humour helps maintain a positive, optimistic outlook during difficult times, disappointments, and loss. More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope.
Even in the most challenging moments, a simple laugh or smile can make a big difference in feeling better. Laughter is contagious; hearing it primes your brain and makes you ready to smile and join in the fun.
Laughter and Heart Health
Professor Marco Saffi from Brazil and his team of researchers have explored the link between laughter and heart health. Their study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in 2023, showed that individuals with coronary heart disease who regularly watched comedy shows experienced benefits to their heart and circulatory system compared to those who watched serious documentaries.
This was the first randomized clinical trial to study the effects of laughter on people with coronary heart disease. A group of 26 participants, with an average age of 64, took part in a 12-week trial. Half were asked to follow a course of laughter therapy, which involved watching comedy shows twice a week; the other half watched neutral documentaries on topics like politics.
The results showed that laughter therapy led to improvements in heart and circulation: arteries were able to expand more effectively, oxygen flow around the body increased, and inflammation markers in the blood, which can predict the risk of a heart attack or stroke, were reduced.
While this was a small study, other research has also shown the positive effects of laughter on the body. Laughter releases endorphins, known as “feel-good hormones.” It increases the oxygen-rich air you take in and reduces stress hormones, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, and causing your muscles to relax.
Prof Marco Saffi suggested that laughter could be used as therapy. He said, “People with heart disease could be invited to comedy evenings or encouraged to enjoy fun evenings with friends and family.”
Laughter as a Tool for Wellbeing
According to Gigi Otálvaro, a PhD and Associate Director of Stanford Living Education and instructor of the “Laughter & Play for Wellbeing” course for Stanford students, “Laughter brings oxygen to the brain and activates the release of anti-stress hormones that allow you to function more efficiently and joyfully.”
As a longtime caregiver for family members with serious illnesses, Otálvaro has found laughter to be a powerful tool for processing grief and difficult emotions. Since laughter reduces cortisol levels, humour can serve as a coping mechanism to support individuals going through challenging times.
In her course, she teaches breath-based practices that invoke laughter and ignite a sense of childlike playfulness. Rather than relying on jokes, laughter exercises offer the opportunity to laugh for no reason, simply for the enjoyment of the experience itself.
Laughter exercises also improve focus, productivity, and creativity. Many of Otálvaro’s students report being able to complete assignments more efficiently after engaging in laughter practices.
According to her, “After taking my course, which includes laughter exercises, many students say they are more productive and are able to live with more presence, joy, and intention in their lives.”
Research also shows that laughter releases dopamine and serotonin, both of which contribute to a calm and creative mindset, which are qualities busy students need to thrive.
Benefits of Laughter
- Relaxes the whole body: A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes afterwards.
- Boosts the immune system: It decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, improving your resistance to disease.
- Triggers the release of endorphins: These natural “feel-good” chemicals promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
- Protects the heart: Mirthful laughter improves the function of blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and increases blood flow, helping to protect against heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.
- Burns calories: While not a substitute for the gym, one study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn about 40 calories—enough to lose three to four pounds over the course of a year. Calories are burned because laughter elevates your heart rate, causing your body to expend more energy.
- Lightens anger’s heavy load: Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side of things can put problems in perspective and help you move on without lingering bitterness or resentment.
- May even help you live longer: A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humour lived longer than those who did not laugh as much. The difference was particularly striking among cancer patients.
“Health care is expensive,” said Natalie Dattilo, an instructor of psychology in Harvard Medical School’s Psychiatry Department. “If we can find a tool that is as simple as laughter, that is free for the most part, with no side effects and no contraindications, that would be really great.”
Supporting this, a study titled “Laughter as Medicine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Interventional Studies Evaluating the Impact of Spontaneous Laughter on Cortisol Levels”, by Kramer et al, concluded that laughter is associated with a greater reduction in cortisol compared with usual activities. This suggests laughter as a potential adjunctive medical therapy to improve well-being.
