Many of us have heard the old adage that ‘laughter is the best medicine’. But even though we feel better after a good laugh, do we know what’s really going on behind the scenes?
Laughter is a physical expression of joy and humour. Among its many protective qualities, laughter is one of the best ways to manage daily perceptions of stress. Essentially, cheerfulness is linked to emotional resilience, with both strongly correlated with happiness. [1]
Aristotle viewed laughter as ‘a bodily exercise precious to health,’ while Lord Byron is quoted as saying ‘Always laugh when you can: it is cheap medicine.’ [2] In the 1300s, visionary French surgeon Henri de Mondeville documented that telling jokes to patients eased pain and sped up their recovery. [3]
Laughter can make coping with difficult situations easier and helps us to connect with others. Best of all, laughter is a low cost, accessible, non-invasive and non-pharmacological treatment to improve our mood … and it’s enjoyable!
But how does it all work?
In short, laughing increases our intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates our heart, and boosts the endorphins released by our brain. It can also lower blood pressure, epinephrine, and glucose levels, and increases glucose tolerance.
Specific to AAG’s context, laughter plays a positive role in ageing well. [5] Theoretically, laughter has the potential to ameliorate the lived experience of ageing and slow down ageing processes (over 10 years ago, practitioners put forward the efficacy of laughter in fields including general patient care, geriatrics, rehabilitation, home care and palliative care). [6]
There is also growing evidence in favour of laughter therapy interventions to improve the quality of life of older adults with and without dementia. [7]
So, if not the best, laughter is certainly a strong medicine.
Here are some quick and easy ways to bring more laughter into your daily life:
- Find things that make you giggle, like funny photos or memes, and display them where you’ll see them.
- Keep comical movies or books on hand for when you need a humour boost.
- Spend time with people who make you laugh.
- Watch silly YouTube videos, TikToks or podcasts, or go to a comedy club.
- Or for the more adventurous, try laughter yoga.
However you choose to laugh more, you are bound to feel the benefits.
“We don’t laugh because we’re happy – we’re happy because we laugh!”
– William James
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References:
1. Ayan, S. (2009). Laughing matters. Scientific American Mind, 20(2), 24-31
2. https://medical.uworld.com/blog/medical/laughter-as-medicine-the-health-benefits-of-humor/
3. Nhttps://medical.uworld.com/blog/medical/laughter-as-medicine-the-health-benefits-of-humor/
4. Roscoe, L. A. (2017) Sometimes Laughter Is the Best Medicine, Health Communication, 32:11, 1438-1440
5. Heidari, M. et al (2020) Effect of Laughter Therapy on Depression and Quality of Life of the Elderly Living in Nursing Homes. Malays J Med Sci. 2020 Jul;27(4):119-129
6. Gonot-Schoupinsky, F. (2023). From positive psychology to positive biology: laughter and longevity. Exploration of Medicine, 4(6), 1109-1115
7. Yoshikawa, Y. et al (2019). Beneficial effect of laughter therapy on physiological and psychological function in elders. Nursing Open, 6(1), 93-99.