A Giggle and a Blood Cell

 

Laughter may not be the best medicine but it definitely has some healing powers. Struggling to keep up with class work and band in college has been challenging and I am often stressed to the max. One day my friends made me laugh very hard and I started to feel more positive and determined afterwards. That made me curious because I had always heard the common saying about laughter and I was curious about the true benefits of laughter (if there were any). I had always thought laughter would make me feel good in the moment and then it would fade away as quickly as it came. Upon further research, I found that laughter is not affect one merely for a moment, but rather has lasting effects.

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There are multiple positive effects of laughter that have lasting impacts on various systems within the body. It has been found that simply having a good laugh can relieve many symptoms of stress or tension, and leave individuals’ muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after the laugh. Endorphins are often thought of as chemicals that give good feelings and can distract one from physical pain experienced for short amounts of time. Laughter triggers releases of endorphins and a sense of well-being and happiness consumes a person and may possibly serve as a distraction from pain.

It is also observed that blood flow increases after laughing and there is a slight reduction in artery inflammation in addition to an increase in HDL (good cholesterol). All of those elements help to prevent cardiovascular issues such as heart disease. Research into circulation of blood vessels by the University of Maryland Medical Center has uncovered that blood vessels dilate and blood circulations increase when watching movies that spur laughter versus movies that are more action-based and serious. When considering the effects of circulation, laughter may not be the only cause of better circulation, but the spikes seem to point to the conclusion that laughter that occurs during humorous movies aids in increased blood circulation.

When considering the distraction that laughter causes from pain and discomfort, there are studies that have been conducted to aid the theory. Rosemary Cogan, Dennis Cogan, William Waltz, and Melissa McCue have all conducted experiments that measure the changes in pain thresholds after listening to laughter-inducing audiotapes. One experiment has been done with 20 male and 20 female subjects who listened to the audiotapes for twenty minutes at a time with no distractions. One audiotape was a dull narrative while the other was laughter-inducing. The effects of the more humorous audiotape showed that after listening to the tape and having experiments of pain threshold, the pain threshold level increased versus after listening to the duller audiotape. The results suggest that laughter can possibly reduce “clinical discomfort.”

Laughter seems to be a healing and preventative element that can bring a lot of potential good to those who are lucky enough to experience the action. I feel fairly lucky that I can.

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One thought on “A Giggle and a Blood Cell

  1. Margaret Mary Kreienberg

    I have always been told “the more you laugh the longer you live.” All my life I have been I have been laughing to myself about this saying. But now, reading this, I think the old saying might be true. I didn’t know that it has been scientifically proven that laughter can calm your muscles for up to 45 minutes. Of course, after a good laugh with my friends I always feel happy and nice. Now, knowing that I am doing my body a favor when laughing is a pretty amazing.

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