Laugh it off
read time: 334 words, about two minutes
There’s actually a lot of wisdom in that phrase.
Dr. Norman Cousins wrote a book “Anatomy of an Illness” back in 1980.
He had been diagnosed with heart disease and given not such a great prognosis. He recovered by taking Vitamin C and watching daily episodes of Marx Brothers movies.
Ok, that’s one guys account. Not exactly scientific research.
But wait, there’s more…
Dr. Lee Burk, Associate Professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, has been studying the therapeutic effect of laughter (pretty nice job, huh?).
In response to stress, frustration or anger your body produces cortisol. Elevated cortisol suppresses your immune system making you more susceptible to disease.
Dr. Burk has shown that laughter lowers cortisol levels thereby mitigating the negative effects of stress.
Laughing can help control pain, lower blood pressure, stretches your diaphragm, opens up your lungs, eases chest tension and relieves stress. Laughing increases B-cells – a disease fighting protein – which boosts your cellular immune response.
Dr. Michael Miller, researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that laughing dilates blood vessels increasing blood flow and helping to keep the heart healthy. His team found that subjects experienced a 22% increase in blood flow after watching a funny movie.
Japanese geneticist Kazuo Murakami has been studying the health effects of a good laugh. His theory is that laughing triggers energy inside a person’s DNA which then helps cure disease.
In one experiment he had diabetics listen to a dull lecture and then watch a comedy show. Their blood glucose level was lowered following the comedy show.
He also conducted a program where participants received a medical check-up and exercises while watching a comedy show. They reported their annual health care costs decreased 30% after they joined the program.
Allen Klein author of “The Healing Power of Humour” claims “20 seconds of laughing gives the heart the same workout as 3 minutes of hard rowing”.
Rather than reaching for a drink or a pill, check out a funny movie.
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