Laughter really is the best medicine

In October of 1923, Charlie Chaplin addressed a meeting of the American Child Health Association with this observation: “...laughter is the best tonic I can suggest.”

Science is now backing up Chaplin’s assertion in a big way. Dr. Lee Berk of the University of Loma Linda just concluded a study of 20 men and women with diabetes. All were taking medication for the ailment, as well as tablets for high blood pressure and cholesterol. For the study, all subjects took their medicine as prescribed, but half of them were given an additional prescription: to watch 30 minutes of comedy per day.

After two months, those who watched comedies had reduced levels of stress hormones, and after four months, compounds associated with hardening of the arteries were reduced, while “good” cholesterol levels rose.

Laughter and Exercise

Ever notice how relaxed you feel after experiencing an intense bout of laughter? Every muscle in our bodies seems less tense, we feel calmer, and our mood is elevated.

That’s because positive, physiological changes occur when we laugh out loud. Our heart rate increases, circulation is enhanced and more oxygen reaches tissue throughout the body. Steve Wilson, MA, CSP, psychologist and laugh specialist, told WebMd in an interview that laughing can be as beneficial as a mild, 20 minute workout. Another laugh researcher, William Fry, says that it takes 10 minutes on his rowing machine to get his heart rate up to the level it reaches after only 1 minute of a good, hearty belly laugh.

Laughter and Pain

The “science” of laughter only became a focal point for research after the publication of Norman Cousins’ “Anatomy of an Illness.” Cousins, who suffered from a severe spinal ailment that caused him a great deal of pain, watched episodes of Candid Camera and Marx Brothers’ films while recuperating. He wrote that ten minutes of watching comedy afforded him two hours of pain-free, recuperative sleep.

Scientifically, there’s a reason for this: hearty laughter releases endorphins, our feel good hormones that are also our bodies’ natural pain killer. Dr. Robert R. Provine, Univeristy of Maryland professor and author of the book “Laughter: A Scientific Investigation,” states in his book that the most remarkable benefit he sees in laughter is its ability to dull pain.

Anticipation

Apparently, the mere anticipation of laughing may have health benefits. Another, earlier study by Dr. Berk demonstrated that looking forward to a good laugh increases circulation as much as exercise or taking a cholesterol lowering drug.

Were Charlie Chaplin still among us, he would probably say that these studies haven’t proven anything that he didn’t already know: and that is “laughter truly is the best medicine.”

(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)