Khaberni - Recent studies draw on the idea of investigating the role of laughter in health improvement from "laughter clubs" that emerged in India in the 1990s.
Dr. Michael Miller, a cardiologist and medicine professor at the University of Pennsylvania says, "Laughter clubs were built on the intuitive idea that laughter relieves stress. But laughter is also beneficial for the heart and immune system, and it has many other health benefits."
Miller adds: "As we say, exercise 3 to 5 times a week at least, and laugh wholeheartedly from 2 to 5 times a week at least".
Study of Laughter
According to "MSN Health", although prominent scientists, from the ancient Greeks to Freud, have expressed their views on the roots of laughter and its effects, modern study of laughter began to emerge in the 1960s.
For example, Stanford University psychologist William F. Fry took blood samples from himself while watching Laurel and Hardy. He discovered that laughter increases the number of immune-boosting blood cells.
In 1995, Dr. Madan Kataria, a doctor in Mumbai, learned about emerging research while working as an editor for a health magazine, and while researching for an article on stress management. To overcome his stress, he founded the first daily laughter club in one of the parks.
He said that the number of participants increased from a few individuals to more than 150 within one month.
After running out of jokes quickly, Kataria devised exercises to stimulate the diaphragm, incorporated yogic breathing exercises, light stretching exercises, and deliberately funny sounds and movements.
Kataria said, "We were acting at first, but within seconds, everyone burst into laughter."
Why does laughter help?
Miller started studying laughter in the 1990s. By showing comedy films to study participants, he found that laughter produces endorphins in the brain, which promotes the secretion of beneficial chemicals in the blood vessels.
For instance, nitric oxide causes dilation of the blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure, inflammation, and cholesterol.
Miller adds, "This combination reduces the risk of a heart attack, and endorphins are natural pain relievers."
Miller oversees the Department of Medicine at the Veterans Affairs in Philadelphia, where he implements a program for laughter therapy.
About his program, he says: "When you laugh wholeheartedly, you feel a great sense of relaxation and comfort. It's a feeling akin to taking a pain reliever."
Surprise of Playful Laughter
Jenny Rosendahl, the lead researcher in medical psychology at Jena University in Germany, says that feigned laughter - or contrived laughter as it's known in academic circles - may be more beneficial than spontaneous laughter.
Rosendahl conducted a meta-analysis of 45 studies on laughter, alongside other research, and found that laughter-inducing therapies reduce glucose levels, cortisol (the stress hormone), and chronic pain. They also improve mobility and overall mood, especially in the elderly.
