When my husband and I got married, we skipped the prenup and just adopted some unwritten rules to help prevent needing one.
- He pours me a glass of champagne on Sunday Fundays
- And I (often unsuccessfully) try to make him laugh each day
I knew laughing had health benefits but I was curious about the science behind it. So, let’s dig in.
The smallest gentle yoga class.
Dr. Lee Berk says that laughing should be part of a healthy lifestyle alongside nutrition and exercise. When you get down to the nitty gritty of it, the action of a good laugh is like a teeny tiny gentle yoga class.
Strong exhalations have a calming effect: they lower one’s heart rate and blood pressure, which reduces stress and anxiety. Robert Provine, another researcher, found that a deep sigh comes with small bursts of laughter.
Laughing can even give you a taste of what it’s like to be a pro-meditator, as the same frequencies of brain waves that Buddhist monks achieve also pop up when the average person laughs. This is the same area of the brain (the pons) that’s activated when sleeping and breathing deeply.
Plus, the body goes limp during the act of laughing and muscles relax. The next time you’re laughing a lot, try doing something simple, like sticking out your tongue. (It’s surprisingly hard!)
A laugh a day keeps the doctor away.
(Okay okay, this is not an absolute, so don’t go ditching your doc appointment because you think laughing is the cure.)
Getting a case of the giggles is a way to boost your immune system, as well as the antidote to stress: it suppresses stress-inducing hormones, like cortisol, and releases calming, mood-boosting neurochemicals, like dopamine—-now that’s pretty dope.
Stress, on the other hand, weakens your immune system and can make you sick.
Shared laughter bonds us.
Another benefit that isn’t always discussed is its social nature. Laughter is a very effective way to bond with another person, and believe it or not, has softened folks in conflict resolution. Everything from serious Palestinian-Israeli talks to silly things like hiding your son’s Halloween candy (ok, that’s also pretty serious).
When people laugh together, they make eye contact, their breathing syncs up, and their relationship (of any kind) becomes just a little more intimate, establishing a new small level of trust.
Jo-Anne Bachorowski and her colleague Michael Owren suggest that:
Laughter rewards mutually beneficial exchanges—successful collaborations at work, in the kitchen, in child rearing, with friends. Laughter signals appreciation and shared understanding. Laughter evokes pleasure. Given that each individual has a signature laugh, produced by the particulars of the vocal apparatus, laughs become unique rewards of cooperative exchange, building trust between individuals.
Bachorowski’s studies point out that laughter probably preceded speech back in the caveman days (add that to your Paleo diet!)
So it makes sense that laughing is more likely to happen in social situations rather than alone. It is a true human experience.
Catching a laugh: it’s contagious.
Speaking of innate human experience!? Like yawning and smiling, laughter is contagious. Our brains can do this cool trick of mirroring what we observing someone else doing.
For example, if you’re watching a professional dancer, the neurons in your brain light up as if you are dancing too. Laughing has a similar effect on the brain, but in its case, you can’t help but crack a smile.
Try watching a clip of someone laughing for a long time on YouTube. You’ll likely start laughing yourself at some point, even if you don’t feel like it. That’s why sitcoms use laugh tracks to stimulate the mirror neurons and get us laughing.
Giving space to play and creativity.
Last, but certainly not least, laughing is the gateway to play, creativity, and imagination.
“Developmental psychologists who have studied the pretend play of siblings in the home, or the playful wrestling of parents and children, or the playful exchanges of children on the playground, find that laughter reliably initiates and frames play routines” (Keltner 138).
It’s an expression of release and joy.
The punch line.
The health benefits of laughter are clear.
- It helps us feel calmer and can be a boost to our immune system.
- Sharing laughter with others not only bonds people, but it is also lays a path toward conflict resolution.
- It is a good aid to one’s personal health and healthy relationships. When relationships are loving and playful, laughter surrounds them.
- And it’s contagious, in the best way possible.
So, whether you share a laugh with a friend or watch a funny video online, we hope you get your daily dose of giggles today.
Sources:
Griffin, R. Morgan. “Laughter: Good For Your Health.” WebMD, WebMD, 10 Apr. 2008, www.webmd.com/balance/features/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter#1.
Heid, Markham. “Laughing: You Asked Does Laughter Have Real Health Benefits?” Time, Time, 19 Nov. 2014, time.com/3592134/laughing-health-benefits/.
“Laughter.” Born to Be Good: the Science of a Meaningful Life, by Dacher Keltner, W.W. Norton, 2010, pp. 123–145.