Health Benefits of Laughter

Laugh Your Way to Wellness

Therapeutic Humor: “Any intervention that promotes health and wellness by stimulating a playful discovery, expression or appreciation of the absurdity or incongruity of life’s situations…This intervention may enhance health or be used as a complementary treatment of illness to facilitate healing or coping, whether physical, emotional, cognitive, social or spiritual.”

Health benefits of Laughter Yoga

The basic objective of every human being is to enjoy life, live in harmony with family and have lots of friends to connect with. But, one cannot enjoy life if one is sick. Laughter Yoga is a single exercise routine which brings physical, mental and social wellbeing in a shortest period of time. People can feel the benefits from the very first session.

Dr. Kataria says that in his 30 years of experience in medicine, the two most common causes of ill health are wrong food habits and lack of exercise which leads to heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and many stress related illnesses.

Business people are very busy and have no time to exercise. Dr. Williams Fry of Stanford University proved that 10 minutes of hearty laughter is equal to 30 minutes on the rowing machine. This is not in term of muscular movements but a cardio pulmonary endurance. The purpose of all aerobic exercises is to stimulate heart rate, increase blood circulation, supply oxygen and remove waste products.

Laughter Yoga is different from other forms of exercise

Today business people are very busy and no time to exercise. Laughter yoga can be the easy way out if you don’t have time to exercise. Laughter Yoga combines fun and easy aerobic exercise with physiological and emotional benefits and stress reduction for a unique wellbeing workout.

It’s fun & easy – no postures or skills to learn, no special clothes or equipment required – you are an expert from your first session.

It provides a fast and powerful no-sweat cardiovascular workout.
Stress levels quickly reduce by 75% or more and stay down as it helps builds stress resistant.
Blood pressure drops, circulation improves and pulse rate drops.
Lungs are well exercised and flushed of stale residual air – healthier deep breathing is learnt.
Blood & major organs are fully oxygenated leaving one bursting with energy.
Hearty laughter improves mood within minutes by releasing Endorphins that act as mood enhancers and natural pain killers.
It lifts depression – even chronic depression may be cured.
It boosts self-confidence, creativity and improves communication skills
It lower blood pressure
It Strengtheng cardiovascular functions
Increasing muscle flexion
Triggering the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers
Producing a general sense of well-being

Even anticipating laughter can enhance our biochemistry. In a novel experiment conducted at Loma Linda University, researchers studied a group of 16 healthy male volunteers. The participants were assigned to two groups. Blood was drawn from both groups four times during the event and three times afterward. The experiment group was told that they would be watching a humorous video. The control group was not. The findings were astounding. The experiment group showed not only a decrease in stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, and dopac,) but also an increase in beta-endorphins (chemicals that alleviate depression) and human growth hormone (which boosts immunity.)

Using laughter as medicine is not a new concept. As early as the 14th Century, French surgeon Henri de Mondeville used humor therapy to aid recovery from surgery. He wrote: “Let the surgeon take care to regulate the whole regimen of the patient’s life for joy and happiness, allowing his relatives and special friends to cheer him and by having someone tell him jokes.”