We love to laugh, but have you noticed how much better you feel after a good belly laugh? Studies tell us that it actually improves our health in several ways.
Laughter is a way to connect with people and communicate. We actually laugh differently when we’re with people we like than when we’re alone. Laughter is a means of communicating. It says we understand and agree with the person we are talking to, and that we like or love them.
Laughter is contagious, especially laughter that is a reaction to something we find truly funny.
We have two basic types of laughter:
Involuntary laughter is:
Longer and higher pitched
A reaction to tickling, play or something you find really funny.
Sometimes results in the type of laughter you just can’t stop no matter how hard you try. Some call this a “good belly laugh”.
Influenced by the environment and how funny you perceive a situation.
Something you found uncontrollably hilarious on one occasion might be only mildly funny much later, leaving you wondering what happened…
Social or posed laughter is:
More “nasal” than involuntary laughter
Polite laughter used in a conversation that shows you agree and appreciate what the person you are talking to is saying
Used to communicate, a way of regulating emotions and forming bonds with people
Shows that you like the other person and that you want to make them happy, or other underlying meanings
Laughter is very nuanced. Its interpretation is universal – anyone can identify whether laughter is social or involuntary whether it’s from someone in their culture or country, or from the other side of the globe.
And it’s not just humans who laugh – monkeys and rats have also been observed laughing. Monkeys also have two types of laughter, just as humans do.
We also learn how to interpret laughter as we grow. We are best at interpreting what a laugh means in our 30s and early 40s, having learned through experience. As children, we are more likely to just want to join into the laughter we encounter, even if we don’t understand why people are laughing. As we get older, laughing becomes less contagious, perhaps because we are understanding the meaning better and less likely to feel we have to join in the mirth.
But the best part, is that laughter has been found to be good for our health.
Right away, laughter can:
Stimulate the lungs, heart and muscles
Ease tension by stimulating circulation and relaxing muscles
After a good laugh, it can reduce heart rate and blood pressure
Over the long term, laughing can:
Improve the immune system
Negative thoughts lead to increased stress
Positive thoughts and laughter trigger release of body chemicals that fight stress and potentially reduce the risk of serious illnesses
Relieve pain
Laughing stimulates the body to produce pain-relieving substances called endorphins that relieve pain, sometimes called our natural opioids
Make it easier to cope with difficult situations and connect to other people
Improve your mood
Laughter can help lessen depression and anxiety, and can make you feel happier
My mom loved to tell a story that she had read in the newspaper. It told of a man who was diagnosed with incurable cancer and told nothing could be done to help him. Instead of getting sad and depressed, he booked a room in a hotel and watched every funny movie their service offered. When he next returned to the doctor, the article claimed, they could find no trace of the cancer! Whether this is true or not, I can’t say, but the story described the man as laughing his way to health…one of those rare cases of spontaneous healing, facilitated by laughter. Perhaps the lesson here is that creating opportunities for laughter and enjoyment of life is good for us!
Here are some things you can do to take advantage of the benefits of laughter:
Hang up jokes or cartoons that make you laugh in your home or office. Keep funny books, movies, videos, or subscribe to joke websites and look at them when you need a humor boost.
Keep a sense of humor and find a way to laugh about your own situation. I actually found a book written by a breast cancer survivor about the funny side of having cancer. She said her sense of humor helped her get through it and she hoped her little cartoons might help someone else in the same situation.
Spend time with people who make you laugh. Share funny jokes and stories with those around you.
Know what is funny and appropriate. Don’t laugh at the expense of others.
Jokes are always funnier when you read them out loud with other people around. I learned this the hard way when I was giving my early presentations. Hardly anyone laughed when I put a cartoon up on the screen, but when I read the caption out loud, everyone laughed! Share the joy when the timing is right…
So, here is a dirty joke to start off your weekend on the “right foot”…and read it out loud to whoever is nearby!
“Why did the dirty chicken cross the road twice???
She was a dirty double-crosser!”
If you are interested in learning more about the science of laughter, watch the 15-minute TED Talk in the references below.
References:
Ted Talk – Why we laugh
Stress management – Mayo Clinic
