"If you can find humor in
anything, even poverty, you can survive it." - Bill Cosby
In between your headline news and
favorite sitcom or drama on television; you see the ads for a litany of
medicines promising to spell relief from your illness de jour (e.g.,
depression, irritable bowel syndrome, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and
osteoporosis). Although some people may experience short term relief from
these conditions, these medications invariably come with a laundry list of
unpleasant and often harmful side effects and usually do little to prevent
chronic health problems in the future. So instead of buying into these ads and
opting for synthetic medicines, why not turn a cheek and laugh a little or a
lot?
Gelotology (from the Greek gelos,
meaning laughter) is an emerging discipline in the health sciences that
examines laughter and its effects on the body (psychological and
physiological).1,2 In fact, several complementary and alternative
medicine (CAMS) protocols prescribe laughter as an adjunct form of treatment
for a variety of health conditions.3,4 The beneficial effects of
mirthful laughter on your health go beyond the brief experience of joy and the
social bonding that usually ensures between people. The extensive list of
physiological and psychological benefits includes:
- It decreases your tendencies towards aggression thereby helping you to form and build your relationships skills with people.
- It decreases your perceived level of physical pain by enhancing your production of endogenous endorphins.
- It helps you to manage your psychological stress more effectively by allowing you to shift your perspective on often challenging situations.
- It improves your blood pressure by relaxing your blood vessels and decreases blood sugar levels after eating foods that convert into glucose in your body.
- It enhances your immune system by boosting your production of natural killer cells thus helping you to ward off illness.5,6
Unlike, synthetic medicines,
laughter is free and the only potential side effect is disturbing your neighbor
or partner at a comedy club or movie. If you find it difficult to laugh,
there are several simple ways that you can work this muscle (i.e., it is a
muscle isn’t it?). You can watch or listen to a comedy film or play, go with
a friend to a comedy club,
join your nearest Laughter Yoga club, or read a magazine like MAD (i.e., you still read paper
magazines don’t you?). If you still have trouble laughing, remember that
like any muscle you only have to start where at and can simply smile instead.
To your health,
Dr. Sandoval
- Bennett, M. P. and Cecile, A. L. Humor and Laughter may Influence Health. Oxford Journals. 1/2006.
- Liebertz, C. A Healthy Laugh. Scientific American 9/2005.
- Hayashi, Keiko et al. Laughter Lowered the Increase in Postprandial Blood Glucose. Diabetes Care. 5/2003.
- Laughter Yoga International. Laughter Yoga Aids Digestion. 10/2010
- Bennett, M.P. et al. The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 3/2003.
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. About Us. 8/2010.
