Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke When it comes to relieving stress, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Lower stress: How does it affect the body?
American Heart Association. Accessed March 30, Create joy and satisfaction. Mental Health America. Savage BM, et al. Humor, laughter, learning, and health! A brief review. Advances in Physiology Education. Yim J. Therapeutic benefits of laughter in mental health: A theoretical review. The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine. Lopes-Junior LC, et al. Effectiveness of hospital clowns for symptom management in paediatrics: Systematic review of randomized and non-randomised controlled trials.
Seaward BL. Comic relief: The healing power of humor. In: Essentials of Managing Stress. Van der Wal CN, et al. Laughter-inducing therapies: Systematic review and meta-analysis. See also 3 simple strategies to help you focus and de-stress 3 ways to become more stress resilient 3 ways to learn patience and amp up your well-being 4 proven ways you can feel happier 5 ways to bring play back into your life A Very Happy Brain Adapt to put stress in its place Anger management: Your questions answered Are your holidays a dietary free-for-all?
Balancing work and life responsibilities Being assertive Bridge pose Can yoga help me keep caregiver stress in check? Downward-facing dog Dreading a family holiday gathering? In fact, research into laughter goes even further, revealing that it's a potent drug with the contagious power of a virus that conveys a slew of benefits for the mind and body. Below are six findings that should keep us wanting to laugh it up. Laughter is a potent endorphin releaser. One of the most recent studies on laughter shows that laughing with others releases endorphins in the brain—our homegrown feel-good chemicals—via opioid receptors.
The more opioid receptors a given person has in their brain, the more powerful the effect. Highly addictive opioid drugs, like heroin, also bind to those receptors, suggesting that laughter induces euphoria not unlike a narcotic minus the obvious drawbacks. Laughter contagiously forms social bonds. The endorphin effect described above also explains why social laughter is so contagious. Spreading endorphin release through groups promotes a sense of togetherness and safety.
Each brain in a social unit is a transmitter of those feelings, which triggers the feel-goods in other brains via laughter. Laughter fosters brain connectivity. Not all laughter is the same, and it turns out that decoding a laugh is more challenging than it seems. Studies show that our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a threat or a challenge. Humor can give us a more lighthearted perspective and help us view events as challenges, thereby making them less threatening and more positive.
Laughter connects us with others. Just as with smiling and kindness , most people find that laughter is contagious. So, if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more and realize these benefits as well.
By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more! Laughter is one of my all-time favorite stress management strategies because it's free, convenient, and beneficial in so many ways. You can get more laughter in your life with the following strategies. Going to a movie or a comedy club with friends is a great way to get more laughter in your life.
The contagious effects of laughter may mean you'll laugh more than you otherwise would have during the show, plus you'll have jokes to reference at later times. Having friends over for a party or game night is also a great setup for laughter and other good feelings.
Making time for this kind of fun is as important as any other habit you keep in your life to support your health, and it's very possibly more enjoyable than most health habits as well. Instead of complaining about life's frustrations, try to laugh about them. If something is so frustrating or depressing it's ridiculous, realize that you could 'look back on it and laugh.
With this attitude, you may also find yourself being more lighthearted and silly, giving yourself and those around you more to laugh about. Approach life in a more mirthful way and you'll find you're less stressed about negative events. Just as studies show the positive effects of smiling occur whether the smile is fake or real , faked laughter also provides the benefits mentioned above.
The body can't distinguish between 'fake' laughter that you just start doing on purpose and 'real' laughter that comes from true humor. The physical benefits are exactly the same, and the former usually leads to the latter anyway. So smile more, and fake laughter; you'll still achieve positive effects, and the fake merriment may lead to real smiles and laughter. There's no shortage of laughter opportunities from entertainment, both at the theater as well as at home with streaming movies and T.
While wasting your time watching something marginally funny may actually frustrate you, watching truly hilarious movies and shows is an easy way to get laughter into your life whenever you need it. You may want to share your recommendations with friends and you'll have something to reference and laugh about together.
Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Front Psychol. Humor, laughter, learning, and health! A brief review. Adv Physiol Educ.
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