Laughter. There’s not been a huge about of it ringing around “Chez Fletcher” recently. As I briefly mentioned in “You can never have enough Flamingos” the last few weeks have been tough. Any laughter has been of the “OMG I can’t believe this is happening” hysterical variety. Fortunately I have grounded myself again. I am now stronger than ever. All that needs to happen is for me to have a gentle giggle or three.
How could I make that happen?
Then I remember I’d written a blog about laughter a couple of months ago. I shared only five of the ten benefits that I had found. Time to share the rest. You can read the original blog here.
Having pushed myself too much over the last couple of days I prescribed rest and comedy clips. So I’m sitting in bed typing this and doing some research on YouTube. Well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. My last five health benefits about laughter need to be supported by an injection of laughter.
Unfortunately, I’ve struggled to find some of the clips without advertising, so I apologise for that in advance.
Laughter helps you breathe better
A deep belly laugh can increase oxygen consumption. It also increases heart rate and respiratory rate similar to those experienced during exercise. A 2009 study reported in the International Journal of Humor Research (yes there is one!) found that these changes only last for as long as the laughter. However, this could be beneficial to people who don’t, or can’t, go to the gym.
Laughter makes the blood flow better
As well as being good for your lungs a good laugh is great for the heart and cardiovascular system too. In 2009 a study compared BART tests of participants. The BART (Brachial artery reactivity testing) is a form of ultrasound that looks at the brachial artery. In this particular study participants either watched comedy or the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan . The opening sequence of the film is known to increase mental stress. The participants who watched the stressful movie experience a 35% reduction in how their blood vessels dilate and contract (FMD – flow-mediated dilation). The opposite was true of the participants who watched the comedy. They experienced a 22% increase in FMD, which is comparable to exercise.
Laughter calms stress hormones
Laughter stimulates multiple physiological systems that decrease levels of cortisol and epinephrine (stress hormones). At the same time it increases the activation of dopamine-dispensing “reward system” within the brain. Advances in Physiology Education: 2017 study. Whilst a 2003 study in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine discovered that a wide variety of stress hormones decreased whilst watching a funny film.
Social laughter can relieve pain
As early as the 14th Century humour was being used by French surgeon Henri de Mondeville. He used humour to to distract his patients from the pain of surgery and aid their recovery. Fortunately, we now have modern anaesthetics to help during surgery. However, what about the impact of aiding recovery? Is this still valid? In a 2011 study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society researchers discovered that participants who watched comedy needed less pain medication than those watching the control videos. The authors suggest “these results can best be explained by the action of endorphins released by laughter.” I guess the only proviso is that you don’t laugh so much you split your stitches!
Laughing burns calories
In 2014 researcher broke a group of 45 participants into two groups. One group watched 10 minutes worth of film clips designed to cause laughter. Meanwhile the control group watch far more serious non-laughter evoking content. All participants wore a “calorimeter” that measured energy expenditure and heart rate. They discovered that laughing burned up to 10 calories in 10 minutes compared to zero calories burnt by those in the control group. International Journal of Obesity. At this rate I shall be prioritising comedy box sets over documentary I currently favour to stimulate my mind. Except that’s going to have a negative impact on my cognitive function which won’t make my existence any easier. I guess it’s all about balance then.
The solution? A TED talk by James Veitch classic which proves you can take a very serious matter, add humour to it and make the message more powerful.
If you don’t hear from me for a few weeks, you’ll know I’ve taken James Veitch’s suggestion seriously and I building relationships with email scammers!
Be kind to yourself …
In CANBACE friendship!
If anything I have written resonates I’d love to hear from you in the comments. I appreciate that this can be a difficult subject to speak openly about. If you don’t want me to publish your comment on the website, please let me know. I will keep your words private.
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