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Laughing is good for you. It changes your chemistry as well as your physiology which improves your chances of experiencing happiness. Norman Cousins, who recovered from a painful degenerative disease, wrote about his laughter cure in Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. Doctors had given him a 500 to one chance of recovery so instead of depending on conventional treatments he watched funny films. He lived for another 26 years which, in turn, inspired a pocket of scientists.

A ‘funny’ discovery

Doctors couldn’t have prescribed ‘laughter’ back in Norman Cousins’ day. In all likelihood, they wouldn’t prescribe laughter as medicine today either. But that didn’t stop Cousins from sharing his experience. He wrote that he made the ‘joyous discovery’ that just 10 minutes after genuine belly laughter, there was an anesthetic effect. This, he continued, would give him ‘at least two hours of pain-free sleep.’

A psychiatrist at Stanford University, William Fry, explored the health benefits of so-called ‘mirthful laughter’. It was found that laughter not only increases circulation but it also stimulates the immune system while exercising the muscles and invigorating the brain. Further research has shown that laughter can reduce stress hormones.

What about ‘forced’ laughter?

Fry has suggested that fake laughter can have similar effects to the system as real laughter, apart from the mental stimulation of a good joke. Would he recommend Laughter Yoga? ‘I think it’s definitely beneficial,’ says the psychiatrist. ‘I’m very much in favor of this program.’

But Laughter Yoga may seem incredibly strange to begin with. How can one laugh at something that isn’t funny? Isn’t it all a bit of a farce, not to say incredibly fake? Those who have been to a session are the first to admit that they felt the same way. Before long though, make believe ‘fake’ laughter turns into the real thing.

A typical session of Laughter Yoga

A Laughter Yoga session may start off with some clapping and chanting to warm up the group. ‘Ho, ho, ha, ha’ is an example of a warm-up exercise. Some deep breaths are then taken in, together with prolonged exhalation. About a quarter of an hour to 20 minutes of laughter exercises are then interspersed with deep breathing. This is followed by another 15 minutes or so of laughter meditation.

Some Laughter Yoga exercises

The Greeting Laughter Walk has people shake hands and laugh while looking into each other’s eyes. Then Humming Laughter exercise requires one to close one’s mouth and hum. Lion Laughter takes some guts as one is expected to stick out one’s tongue while opening one’s eyes as wide as possible.

Gradient Laughter has one smiling and then slowly developing the smile with a light chuckle. The chuckle then intensifies until one begins to laugh merrily. The laugh is tamed and brought back to a smile. Heart-to-heart laughter requires two people holding hands together while laughing.

Tags: stress relief