When was the last time you had a really good laugh? Hopefully recently. Children snort up to 400 times a day, just like that, straight away. On the other hand, statistically speaking, we adults only laugh 15 times a day. Pity! Because humor not only improves your mood, it is actually healthy. Lach researchers have found plenty of evidence for this. There is even evidence that laughter relieves pain. But how come? What happens in the body during a burst of exhilaration? Laughter is hard work: “The heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, more than 100 muscles are involved, from the facial muscles to the respiratory muscles,” says Prof. Carsten Niemitz, human biologist at Freie Universität Berlin. We breathe deeper than usual. The healthy consequences are amazing:
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Natural Painkiller
Laughter makes children better endure pain, researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles recently found. They had children aged 7 to 16 dip their hands in ice water before, during and after the young study participants watched a funny film. The result was clear: during the video, the children kept their hands in the ice water for significantly longer, even if they felt the pain to be just as severe as without a fun distraction. Studies with adults have shown that pain sufferers feel relieved after just a few minutes of laughter – often for several hours.
Strengthens the immune system
Cheerfulness not only makes us forget the pain, it also seems to aid in healing. That’s according to Lee Berk, a neuroimmunologist at Loma Linda University in California. He observed that while we are laughing hard, the activity of natural killer cells and immunoglobulins increases significantly – two important mechanisms in the body to defend against disease . For days after we’ve experienced something funny, our immune levels are higher than people who didn’t have a reason to laugh. Thanks to humor, our body becomes more resistant to pathogens.
Deeper Breathing
Deeper Breathing
When you laugh vigorously, your abdominal muscles push the air you breathe out of your body at over 100 kilometers per hour. The neurologist Prof. William Fry of Stanford University in California found that laughter breathing increases gas exchange in the lungs three to four times. The oxygen stimulates combustion in the body cells. In the brain, it promotes concentration and combats fatigue.
Jogging for blood vessels
Humor seems to be almost as important to the vessels as exercise. “20 seconds of laughter is equivalent to the physical effort of 3 minutes of fast rowing or running,” explains Prof. Fry. However, the heartbeat only accelerates for a short time, after which it becomes significantly and permanently slower. Prof. Ilona Papousek from the University of Graz examined the effect of laughter on 30 stroke patients who had high blood pressure. Her unusual training: an intentional laugh triggered by pantomime and accompanied by breathing exercises. Result: The regular laughter yoga lowered the blood pressure of the patients significantly.
Less stress hormones
Medicine knows from numerous studies how profoundly laughter affects body chemistry: the brain releases more catecholamines and endorphins. These messenger substances have a calming effect and brighten the mood. On the other hand, the production of the stress hormones adrenaline, cortisol and dopac, which alarm the body, is slowed down. This is how he relaxes after a burst of merriment and finds “calm after the storm”. A laugh that comes from your stomach is at least as relaxing as autogenic training.
Benefit for the soul
Along with all the physical benefits, laughter also has psychological benefits. It is an ideal outlet for pent-up aggression and also lowers psychological inhibitions. Difficult situations are cleared up with humor and wit. Happy people are more sociable, more popular with others and therefore more socially successful. It’s not a joke – it’s scientifically proven.
