Go Ahead, Laugh!

While she was recovering from abdominal surgery, Emily sat in her hospital bed and watched late night comedy shows. “I had to change channels,” she said. “I was laughing so hard I was afraid I might tear open all my stitches.”

Laughter is uniquely human; no other species laughs in the same way humans do. And doctors have long believed that laughter is good medicine–as long as you don’t laugh hard enough to rip open your stitches.

When Norman Cousins, a New York journalist, was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful and incurable inflammatory disease, he found in laughter a relief he was unable to get from pain medications. In his 1979 book, Anatomy of an Illness, Cousins describes how he used comedy tapes plus vitamin C to battle his illness.

Perhaps in part because of Cousins’ influence, laughter has become the subject of a number of medical studies, most of which have confirmed the health benefits.

In the most obvious sense, laughter is exercise. A good laugh, depending on how hearty it is, gives a workout to the muscles in your diaphragm, abdomen, chest, face, legs and back. Some researchers have estimated that laughing 100 times is comparable to spinning your legs for 15 minutes on an exercise bike. In terms of calories, of course, you’ll need to laugh most of the day if you’re expecting to lose significant weight.

Probably more important, laughing raises the heart rate more than most common activities. Frequent surges in heart rate help keep blood vessels pliable and healthy.

A University of Maryland study found that heart disease patients were 40 percent less likely than others to react with laughter–rather than anger or hostility–to a variety of every day situations.

And another University of Maryland study may have explained why. Researchers tested the blood flow of 20 healthy male and female subjects after watching two film clips–the violent opening battle scene from “Saving Private Ryan” and a humorous scene from the comedy “Kingpin.” Immediately after the stressful scene, overall blood flow in the subjects decreased by 35 percent; after the comedy scene, blood flow increased by 22 percent.

The hormones released by the body in reaction to stress are designed to help prepare a person for fight or flight. When elevated over a long period, they tend to suppress immune function, raise blood pressure and increase the number of platelets in the blood, increasing the risk of a heart attack.

Following laughter, it’s believed that the body is flooded with pleasure-producing hormones such as endorphins, which are natural pain killers.

Some studies have also shown an increase in disease fighting cells from the immune system following laughter. And a study of 19 diabetic patients found that they had lower blood sugar levels after watching a comedy compared to watching a boring lecture.

For most Americans today, laughter doesn’t come primarily from jokes or comedy shows but from interaction with family and friends. And it has a way of rubbing off on others, making it easier to affiliate and connect. At any age, these connections are essential to maintaining good physical as well as mental health.

The person who laughs is bound to have a strong circle of friends and family. And the person with a strong support circle is usually healthier than one who is lonely and angry.

Humor can also be a way of dealing with adversity. Rx Laughter is a non-profit group founded in 1998 to help children deal with pain caused by cancer, orthopedic injury, arthritis, severe wounds or burns.

In some Australian hospitals, Clown Doctors (who are professional performers rather than physicians) make their rounds with the goal of bringing play, humor and laughter to patients, family and staff. Clowning in hospitals is not a new concept; it has been used in places such as Turkey for centuries.

The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (aath.org), formed in 1987, is a group of healthcare professionals and researchers seeking to “advance the understanding and application of humor and laughter for their positive benefits.” Even when the benefits of laughter are unproven, the attitude of most professionals is that a hearty belly laugh never hurt anyone...except the person recovering from abdominal surgery.