Laughter
By Desirea D. Caucci, PT, DPT
In the late 1990s, I saw a great movie called “Patch Adams” that has stayed with me ever since. The main
premise is that laughter is the best medicine. If you saw the movie, Robin Williams’ comedic and unusual antics
as a doctor caring for ill children served them very well in the end. It was based on a true story, but just how
true is it that laughter and comedy benefit us?
Laughter is a physical, mental and spiritual tonic. It is a form of internal “jogging” that exercises the body and
stimulates the release of beneficial brain neurotransmitters and hormones. The total capacity of a pair of lungs
is about 10 times the breath taken in. Hearty laughter takes more air in to the lungs and the entire body,
including the brain, is exposed to an increased amount of oxygen, so we feel refreshed after a good laugh.
Adults laugh approximately 15 times per day, while children laugh about 400 times a day! As we grow up,
somehow we lose a few hundred laughs a day. By learning to smile and laugh again, more easily and often,
we could have a profound and positive effect on our health and well being.
The science of psychoneuroimmunology is the study of how our state of mind affects our health. More than
ever, scientific evidence suggests that laughter really is one of the best medicines. Laughter is a form of good
stress, or stress in reverse. Humor triggers physiological processes similar to those of conditioned athletes:
increased endorphins, feelings of well-being and decreased levels of the stress hormones cortisol and
adrenaline. Laughter is one of the body's safety valves, a counter balance to tension. When we release that
tension, the elevated levels of the body's stress hormones drop back to normal, thereby allowing our immune
systems to work more effectively. Antibodies increase in number, T-cells which combat viruses are activated
and ready for battle. Our natural killer cells increase in number and activity. Laughing, cheerfulness and
smiling creates motion waves in the mind that strengthens our immune systems to prevent and fight illnesses.
All of this occurs as a direct result of laughter!
Laughter invokes light heartedness and increased mental clarity. Feelings of appreciation and compassion
increase immunoglobulin A, an immune system antibody. People who experience this state of being frequently
also have increased amounts of norepinephrine, which helps to balance the nervous system.
A daily dose of laughter is helpful in making your blood vessels work more efficiently. Laughter also provides
rhythmic movements of the abdominal muscles, which gently massage the intestines and thus improve digestion
and circulation.
Interestingly, faking laughter will also cause the body to respond in the same manner as real laughter. There
are laughter clinics that rely on this very fact and teach people to re-learn laughing like a kid again in order to
reap its profound benefits.
Thirty to sixty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter daily is a healthy prescription
for everyone. No joking.
By Desirea D. Caucci, PT, DPT
In the late 1990s, I saw a great movie called “Patch Adams” that has stayed with me ever since. The main
premise is that laughter is the best medicine. If you saw the movie, Robin Williams’ comedic and unusual antics
as a doctor caring for ill children served them very well in the end. It was based on a true story, but just how
true is it that laughter and comedy benefit us?
Laughter is a physical, mental and spiritual tonic. It is a form of internal “jogging” that exercises the body and
stimulates the release of beneficial brain neurotransmitters and hormones. The total capacity of a pair of lungs
is about 10 times the breath taken in. Hearty laughter takes more air in to the lungs and the entire body,
including the brain, is exposed to an increased amount of oxygen, so we feel refreshed after a good laugh.
Adults laugh approximately 15 times per day, while children laugh about 400 times a day! As we grow up,
somehow we lose a few hundred laughs a day. By learning to smile and laugh again, more easily and often,
we could have a profound and positive effect on our health and well being.
The science of psychoneuroimmunology is the study of how our state of mind affects our health. More than
ever, scientific evidence suggests that laughter really is one of the best medicines. Laughter is a form of good
stress, or stress in reverse. Humor triggers physiological processes similar to those of conditioned athletes:
increased endorphins, feelings of well-being and decreased levels of the stress hormones cortisol and
adrenaline. Laughter is one of the body's safety valves, a counter balance to tension. When we release that
tension, the elevated levels of the body's stress hormones drop back to normal, thereby allowing our immune
systems to work more effectively. Antibodies increase in number, T-cells which combat viruses are activated
and ready for battle. Our natural killer cells increase in number and activity. Laughing, cheerfulness and
smiling creates motion waves in the mind that strengthens our immune systems to prevent and fight illnesses.
All of this occurs as a direct result of laughter!
Laughter invokes light heartedness and increased mental clarity. Feelings of appreciation and compassion
increase immunoglobulin A, an immune system antibody. People who experience this state of being frequently
also have increased amounts of norepinephrine, which helps to balance the nervous system.
A daily dose of laughter is helpful in making your blood vessels work more efficiently. Laughter also provides
rhythmic movements of the abdominal muscles, which gently massage the intestines and thus improve digestion
and circulation.
Interestingly, faking laughter will also cause the body to respond in the same manner as real laughter. There
are laughter clinics that rely on this very fact and teach people to re-learn laughing like a kid again in order to
reap its profound benefits.
Thirty to sixty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter daily is a healthy prescription
for everyone. No joking.
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