8 Health Benefits of Laughter

Is there anything better than a contagious giggle that you absolutely can’t control? (Ok, maybe not so good in school or church.) Laughter works wonderfully well in the moment, but it also has some surprising long-term health benefits. In the book A Better Brain at Any Age: The Holistic Way to Improve Your Memory, Reduce Stress, and Sharpen Your Wits (Conari Press, 2009), author Sondra Kornblatt explores how laughter can truly make you feel better.

She writes that the new field of gelotology is exploring the benefits of laughter. It was brought to the public’s awareness in Norman Cousins’ memoir Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins found that comedies, like those of the Marx Brothers, helped him feel better and get some pain-free sleep. That’s because laughter helps the pituitary gland release its own pain-suppressing opiates.

What can laughter do?:

Lower blood pressure
Increase vascular blood flow and oxygenation of the blood
Give a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles
Reduce certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
Increase the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells
Defend against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds–by immunoglobulon in saliva.
Increase memory and learning; in a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increased test scores

Improve alertness, creativity, and memory

Humor and creativity work in similar ways, says humor guru William Fry, M.D., of Stanford University–by creating relationships between two disconnected items, you engage the whole brain.

Humor works quickly. Less than a half-second after exposure to something funny, and electrical wave moves through the higher brain functions of the cerebral cortex. The left hemisphere analyzes the words and structures of the joke; the right hemisphere “gets” the joke; the visual sensory area of the occipital lobe creates images; the limbic (emotional) system makes you happier; and the motor sections make you smile or laugh.

So let’s laugh. What makes you laugh? Tell us your favorite funny movie, or how about a good joke?

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Elena T.

2:16AM PST on Feb 1, 2013

Thank you :)

February 1
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Fi T.

5:38AM PST on Jan 31, 2013

It's a way we help ourselves

January 31
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Justin M.

10:45AM PST on Jan 3, 2013

Laughter truly is a great thing. I recently learned about laughing yoga not too long ago myself. I've recently started trying to laugh (even if I have to fake it) more. Anything that has positive health benefits is okay by me (naturally).

January 3
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Sharlene R.

4:19PM PDT on May 17, 2012

Agreed. Laughing truly is one of the best things in life.

May 17
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Michele W.

2:53AM PST on Jan 26, 2012

Thank you

January 26
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Sarah M.

4:13PM PDT on Oct 29, 2011

thanks

October 29
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Eternal G.

5:18PM PDT on Sep 20, 2011

Laughter is the best medicine!

September 20
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Sanja T.

12:01PM PDT on Sep 10, 2011

interesting...thanks

September 10
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Melinda K.

6:46PM PDT on Aug 30, 2011

If it feels good do it! Imagine how much better the world was if everyone was laughing for a few hours each day, like we did as kids. Its hard to have a war when you are laughing :-)