Last word Laughter and your health

Laughing is good for our health – we know that almost instinctively. These days, scientific research is trying to understand more about this simple truth.

May 2 was World Laughter Day, so we decided to review some of the recent research into the health benefits of a good laugh.

LAUGHTER AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

A Japanese study published in 2019 investigated whether people’s daily laughter frequency was associated with mortality and cardiovascular disease.

The study included 17,152 people who were over 40 and who participated in an annual health check in Yamagata Prefecture. Participants self-reported how often they laughed. Analysis revealed that, in the years that followed, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease incidence were significantly higher among subjects with a low frequency of laughter, even adjusting for age, gender, blood pressure, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

LAUGHTER AND TYPE 2 DIABETES

A 2018 study by universities in Lebanon and Egypt reviewed research on laughter and type 2 diabetes and concluded, “Although laughter therapy is still poorly investigated, recent studies show that laughter may retard the onset of diabetic complications, enhance cardiovascular functions and rectify homeostatic abnormalities associated with T2DM … Laughter therapy is effective in delaying diabetic complications and should be used as an adjuvant therapy.”

The study also outlines the different biochemical, physiological, and immunological, mechanisms by which laughter may help with wellbeing.

REAL VERSUS “FAKE” LAUGHTER

Turning to local work – a 2018 study by the University of Auckland compared the effects of spontaneous laughter with forced or “simulated” laughter.

The researchers reported, “Laughter leads to increased heart rate and reduced heart rate variability, which is similar to the effects of exercise.” They found that, in terms of beneficial effects, the more laughter the better. Laughter didn’t need to be spontaneous to have these beneficial effects. In fact, simulated laughter was more effective because it usually ended up producing greater amounts of laughter.

LAUGHTER YOGA

“Laughter yoga” first became popular as a form of exercise in the 1960s. It includes yoga breathing techniques and laughter exercises, along with eye contact and play with other members of the group. It’s based on the idea that laughter doesn’t need to be spontaneous to be beneficial. At the same time, it’s recognised that deliberate laughter often turns into genuine laughter.

A 2020 Turkish study found that laughter yoga has a positive effect on depression, anxiety, sleep quality, quality of life, loneliness, life satisfaction, blood pressure, and pain in older adults.

It identified that laughter:

• activates muscles and also relaxes them

• increases respiratory rate

• stimulates circulation and increases oxygen saturation

• decreases stress hormones (e.g. adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol)

• increases endorphins and alleviates pain

• improves mental functioning.

The study concluded that laughter yoga is a cost-effective form of exercise or therapy for older adults, with no adverse effects.

INTERESTED IN LAUGHTER YOGA?

There are more than 5000 laughter yoga clubs around the world, in more than 50 different countries. In New Zealand, you can find local groups and events at laughteryoga. org.nz.

1 ‘Associations of Frequency of Laughter With Risk of All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence in a General Population: Findings From the Yamagata Study’. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20180249.

2 ‘Homeostatic effect of laughter on diabetic cardiovascular complications: The myth turned to fact’. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. diabres.2017.11.014.

3 ‘A comparison of the cardiovascular effects of simulated and spontaneous laughter’. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2018.02.005.

4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101252.