laughter

“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” Mark Twain

April is National Humor Month and so that got me to thinking about laughter. Perhaps you’ve heard the famous quote from the poem Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, “Laugh and the whole world laughs with you”. It turns out there is scientific evidence to prove that true! Apparently, just like a yawn, laughter is contagious. According to a 2006 study at the University College of London the brain responds to the sound of laughter and preps the muscles in the face to join in the mirth.

It is a fact that laughter itself changes us physiologically. Like exercise, it boosts the heart rate and increases blood flow, so we breathe faster and more oxygen is delivered to the body’s tissues. Our facial muscles stretch. Research published in the International Journal of Obesity found just 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10-40 calories, depending on a person’s weight and the intensity of the laughter. That is enough to lose between 1–4 lbs a year. Furthermore, the mere act of smiling can alter your mood almost immediately. You can’t feel sad or angry when you’re laughing, right?

The benefits of laughter

• Reduces Stress: When stressed, we produce a hormone called cortisol. Laughter can significantly reduce cortisol levels.
• Helps Reduce Pain: Laughter causes us to produce endorphins, which are natural, pain-killing hormones.
• Strengthens the Immune System: A hearty laugh decreases stress hormones and increases production of T-cells, immune proteins and infection-fighting antibodies.
• Helps the Heart: When we laugh we increase blood flow and the function of blood vessels, which can help prevent cardiovascular problems.
• Relaxes the Whole Body: One good belly laugh can relieve physical tension and relax your muscles for up to 45 minutes.
• Helps You Recharge: By reducing stress levels and increasing your energy, laughter can help you focus and achieve more.
• Improves Aging: Sharing laughs with others is related to higher self-esteem, lower levels of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, and a more positive self-concept.

With all this good news, it just doesn’t seem right that we laugh less as we age. Young children are recorded laughing around 400 times a day. Adults are lucky to laugh 10 times a day! This helped create a mission for me. I challenged my husband to join me in attempting to laugh 400 times in one day. Quite honestly, after a while we lost count of the laughs. I posted on Facebook that we doing this and received jokes from friends. We found ourselves making humorous remarks about our day as it progressed. The more we did laugh, the more there seemed to be reasons to laugh.

Maybe it is my imagination, but somehow all that laughter made traffic lighter, in spite of the fact that this is Spring Break time in Florida! When the challenge was over, the laughter lingered. I did notice us becoming less tolerant of people and situations, so back to laughing we went. When stress tried to interfere with my mood, I forced a laugh. It seemed silly, so then a real laugh followed. Suddenly the stress was gone and I could deal with a particular situation clear headed.

I offer you the same challenge. Look around, what is funny? Do you have a good joke to share? Let your inner child out and have a few laughs. Turn the corners of your mouth up into a smile and then give a laugh, even if it feels a little forced. Notice if your muscles seem a bit more relaxed. Let the healing power of laughter be the gift you give yourself and others, you’ll be glad you did!

Laughter For Weight Loss

I have a program called Laugh It Off! It is a weight management program I created to assist my clients get rid of fat and the inflammation it causes. I noticed that some of my clients start to giggle during the beginning of a trance. It is never offensive and always they go deep. So, I had to figure out a way to use it. Well, we now use it to lose it! There are laughter assignments between sessions and plenty to laugh about during. Funny thing (see what I did there) is that it works! So whether you knew it before or not, weight loss is a laughing matter.

Saturday morning my husband and I went on our favorite bike ride to the park, where we walk the park and then ride home. It was hot out, even early in the morning. The ride there was great, if uneventful. I was not fully myself however and considered if I wanted to do the whole walk. Not being one to give up easily, I decided to go ahead and walk the whole walk. Around these parts, hills are not common. Part of the walk includes a sandy hill, with tree roots all over. It is a challenge on a normal day, a real challenge on a hot day.

I was sweating and working my way up the hill when suddenly I felt weak. I attempted to push through it. It became too hard and I felt my head swimming, so I stopped. My husband looked behind to see me bent over, breathing heavy. He asked me if I was OK. I replied that I was fine, just needed to rest a moment. Then, I closed my eyes and for the first time understood the many references to seeing stars when feeling faint. I did not faint, however.

My husband asked me if I needed to sit. I was afraid if I did, I wouldn’t be able to stand back up. I thanked my husband for helping me. He laughed at that and said, “Well, gee, I thought about telling you to keep up or shut up, or maybe ditching you here for a golf game. I even thought it might be a good time to say I’m not calling any damn ambulances, so don’t even consider getting worse!” I started to giggle, he continued with further such ridiculous threats. The more he said, the more I laughed and my focus changed.

Next thing, I felt much better and we were able to continue. On the ride home, a gentleman was watering his flowers with a hose in his front yard. My husband called out and asked him to spray us. He did, it was amazingly refreshing. When we got home, my husband told me he had been quite worried, I was very pale and my lips were without color. His jokes helped me. He said, “laughter is the best medicine.”

Indeed, it is.