It’s no secret that laughter makes you feel good. It helps us connect with people and feel relaxed. But you may not realize that laughter also works magic below the surface, affecting your physical, emotional and mental health.
suggests that laughter and humor generally enhance well-being in older adults. We dove into the science behind laughter to understand exactly how laughter may benefit your health as you age.
1. Boosts your immune system
The immune system naturally weakens over time. It may respond more slowly as you age, making it harder to fight off viruses and heal from infections.
Laughter improves your immune system’s ability to protect your body. The act of laughing increases the production of immune cells and antibodies in your blood so you can mount a stronger response to germs and infections.
2. Decreases stress
Keeping stress levels low as you age is critical. Chronic stress can speed up the aging process. Additionally, the resulting inflammation puts you at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Laughter helps to decrease cortisol (stress hormone). Even a single session of laughter may , and it doesn’t matter how long you laugh or what causes it.
Finding something funny can also reduce physical tension. A laugh session relaxes your muscles, and the sensation can last for up to 45 minutes.
3. Improves heart health
suggests that people who laugh regularly are less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease or stroke. Every time you laugh, your heart rate and respiratory (breathing) rate increase. As a result, your heart beats stronger and faster, sending more oxygenated blood throughout the body. The improved circulation reduces the risk of heart disease.
Laughter also affects your heart health by:
- Lowering blood pressure: Stress hormones restrict blood vessels and put added tension on the heart. Laughter reduces those hormones and releases that tension.
- Promoting healthy body weight: Laughing for just 10 to 15 minutes burns up to 40 calories.
4. Relieves pain
For decades, experts have recognized that laughter helps with pain relief. But a recent study examining the effect of laughter therapy and spontaneous laughter on cancer patients reported that participants’ .
Laughter may not necessarily reduce pain itself. Experts think it may simply be increasing your pain tolerance and perception. Laughter stimulates the release of endorphins — feel-good chemicals in the brain that serve as natural painkillers and influence your perception of the pain you feel.
5. Supports mental health
show that laughter has a significantly positive effect on mental health, helping to reduce anxiety, depression and stress. One of the ways laughter does this is by causing a release of dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins — chemicals associated with pleasure, motivation and learning.
Laughter may also increase the benefits of socialization, which is critical as you age. Laughter is more effective when it happens in a group setting. Laughing with others fosters a sense of belonging and connection. Even from a young age, we can differentiate the laughter of friends from that of strangers.
How to get more laughter in your life
While many of the health benefits of laughter are especially helpful later in life, we tend to laugh less as we age. In fact, children laugh approximately 400 times a day, while adults only manage to chuckle about 15 times.
Some ideas for getting more laughter into your life include:
- Lighten up: Laughter isn’t a talent, it’s a habit. When you get in the habit of looking for humor in everyday situations, you’ll start to laugh more easily. If you spill your tea, find the funny in it. If you see something funny, don’t hold back your laughter.
- Make yourself laugh: Most laughter research focuses on spontaneous laughter — laughing at something you see or hear. But there are also therapeutic effects to simulated laughter that you force.
- Schedule laughter breaks: Several times a day, take a moment to search for something funny. Look online for a funny video, watch a sitcom, or call your funniest friend or relative.
- Try laughter yoga (laughter as an exercise): uses breathing and movement exercises to encourage laughter. Research shows that laughter yoga may improve depression symptoms and life satisfaction.
