Laughing Matters – Exploring the connection between humor and health

In the 1960s, Norman Cousins ​​was diagnosed with a disabling and life-threatening collagen disease. In response, Cousins ​​underwent a regimen that included plenty of vitamin C and positive emotions, including the daily burst of laughter that resulted from watching TV shows like The Three Stooges. To the surprise of many doctors, she made a full recovery, published a book about the experience (the best-selling Anatomy of a disease as perceived by the patient: reflections on healing and regeneration, 1979) and in the process provided a source of support for the idea that laughter is great medicine.

Now, several decades later, we are still debating the question of whether humor can be a boon to our health and even our fitness. As basic as humor is, researchers still have a lot to learn about it, as do some comedians. Regarding the health benefits, says Michael Miller, associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Hospital (Baltimore), “The recommendation for a healthy heart one day may be to exercise, eat right and laugh a few times a day.” day”.

Miller was a researcher on a study presented at the American Heart Association’s annual scientific sessions a few years ago that linked laughter and an active sense of humor to heart health. Cardiologists at the medical center found that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh at certain situations than people of the same age without heart disease.

The study compared both the mood and anger and hostility levels of 300 subjects, half of whom had suffered a heart attack or bypass surgery, and the other half did not have heart disease. The former were less likely to recognize humor or use it to get out of awkward situations, the researchers found. They were also angrier and more hostile. Of course, some of that may be a reaction to your illness; you wouldn’t expect sick people to be as cheerful as healthy people. But 40% is a big difference, more than you could attribute to that factor.

MORE FUNNY EVIDENCE

Another study provided further support for the idea of ​​laughter as a beneficial mental and physical activity. The UCLA researchers had 21 healthy children put their hands in cold water while they watched funny videos. The result? Children who laughed were able to tolerate the pain of cold water longer than those who did not. The researchers also found that children who laughed had lower levels of cortisol, a hormone that signals stress.

Although this study was small and there was no control group, it still supports the healthiness of laughter. And since we haven’t seen any studies indicating the negative consequences of a giggle, a laugh, or a laugh, it’s hard to argue against the idea that a little fun helps improve emotional and physical well-being.

Just as we incorporate other heart-healthy activities into our daily lives, we could do the same with laughter, suggests Miller. “The ability to laugh, either naturally or as a learned behavior, may have important implications in societies where heart disease remains the leading cause of death,” she notes.

Humor won’t replace exercise in the health equation, of course, but who wouldn’t sometimes prefer an episode of Friends to a grueling cardio session? And today, humor is taken more seriously as a health factor than in the past. Hundreds of academics belong to the International Society for Humor Studies.

Although the health benefits of laughter have not yet been scientifically proven, laughter can help us overcome stress, which contributes to heart problems, among other diseases. After all, we may need a daily dose of laughter along with our exercise and lean diets. So make sure you laugh at least a few times a day. It can’t hurt, and it might very well help. It is not a joke.