We’ve all heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine.” Well, it turns
out, it might be true. Laughing, smiling, and finding joy is good for your
mental health.
Laughter can help you
stay mentally healthy
and produce positive physical and emotional changes in the body, including
strengthening your immune system, boosting your mood, reducing tension,
easing pain, and minimizing stress.
The Healing Benefits of Laughter
We know that laughing makes us feel good in the moment, but laughing on a
regular basis also has beneficial, long-term psychological effects. Some
health care professionals have even
prescribed more laughter
as a way to improve overall well-being because it is natural, free, and easy
to reap the benefits.
In a practice called “Laughter Yoga,” master trainer
Alexa Drubay
helps people find joy by laughing and smiling on a regular basis — even when
there isn’t anything funny to laugh at. Her practice, located in Media,
Pennsylvania, is based on stress-reduction principles developed in India
nearly 30 years ago by
Dr. Madan Kataria. Laughter yoga focuses on
mindfulness, intentional laughing, and breathing techniques
that connect you to your body in ways that create a sense of joy and
well-being.
“When we laugh, we are accessing the power of our diaphragm, which allows us
to draw more oxygen into our body,” explains Drubay. “More oxygen means more
circulation into our hearts and brain to help access those euphoric
feelings. When we
choose to laugh
for longer, we also engage cellular renewal, and over time, we receive a
boost of happy hormones to the brain. Feel-good hormones like dopamine,
oxytocin, and serotonin increase and we can feel lighter, brighter, more
confident, less anxious, and less depressed.”
What’s So Funny?
Often when we think of laughter, we think of a joyful reaction we share with
others. Regardless of whether it’s sparked by a funny observation, a joke,
or a good mood, laughing typically creates positive interactions among
people. But when we’re alone or feeling down, tapping into those positive
feelings can be more challenging.
The good news is there’s a
theory of laughter
called the “motion creates emotion theory” (MCET), which proposes that the
body doesn’t know the difference between laughing in response to something
humorous and deliberate laughing. Someone who intentionally plans their
laughter can get the same physical, emotional, and mental benefits as they
would from spontaneously laughing at something funny. Essentially, laughing
for the sake of laughing can change your mood.
“Incorporating laughter into your daily routine is a great way to make sure
you keep your spirits up. Just like drinking eight glasses of water a day or
exercising is good for your daily routine, so is laughing. It’s easy to
laugh when things are going great, but to develop the tools to laugh when
things are hard, that’s when you can really see the results and feel how
daily laughter can make life feel more joyful and hopeful,” says Drubay.
While you should always take your mental and physical health seriously with
appropriate medical treatment,
finding opportunities to laugh
is a great way to help yourself through tough times.
“When something hard happens,” says Drubay, “I know I have two choices. I
can either be really frustrated and angry, or I can take a deep breath,
laugh, and figure out how to move on. When I choose to laugh, life just
feels better.”
For more information about mental health, self-care strategies, and where to
find help, visit
ibx.com/knowyourmind.
This content was originally published on
IBX Insights.