Laughter Studies
Recent Research
Laughter Yoga reduces the cortisol response to acute stress in healthy individuals.
Laughter Yoga For
Cancer Patients leads to physiological and biochemical changes that effect the development of cancer
Laughter Yoga Helps Reduce Stress In US Military Nurses
"Laughter can relieve tension, soothe the pain of disappointment, and strengthen the spirit for the formidable tasks that always lie ahead." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower
Laughter Yoga reduces the cortisol response to acute stress in healthy individuals
Maria Meiera, Lisa Wirz, Philip Dickinson, and Jens C. Pruessner, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Abstract
Stress is one of the foremost contributors to the development of psychiatric diseases. Since the prevalence of stress-related complaints is increasing, we are in need for affordable and effective treatment alternatives. Laughter Yoga (LY), a popular method encouraging participants to simulate laughter and participate in yogic breathing exercises, is hypothesized to buffer the negative effects of stress.
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Results
We expected that LY and relaxation breathing group each show a down regulation of stress response indices compared to the control group. Further, we expected that LY has beneficial effects compared to relaxation breathing. The groups did not differ in salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase or subjective stress reactivity during the 30-minute intervention. However, in response to the TSST-G, the LY, but neither the relaxation breathing nor the control condition, showed an attenuated cortisol stress response. These findings highlight the potential of LY to buffer the endocrine stress response. Therefore, LY could be a cheap and easy-to-implement add-on to more traditional stress interventions.
“When you laugh you change, when you change, the whole world changes” - Dr Madan Kataria
Laughter Yoga for Cancer Patients
Cancer is considered a killer disease. When someone is struck with cancer it leads to intense stress and fear. How can laughter yoga help? Laughter Yoga as a physical intervention leads to real physiological and biochemical changes in our body that have a profound effect on the development of cancer.
Laughter yoga provides a non-intellectual path to laughter. Cancer patients may be in emotional turmoil and become depressed, making it difficult for them to achieve laughter through intellectual stimuli like humorous videos. Laughter yoga approaches laughter as a body exercise that can easily be done regardless of mood.
Oxygen for Cancer Healing
Oxygen is one of the primary catalysts for all metabolic reactions in the human body. Ongoing scientific studies show that lack of oxygen is the major cause of most diseases. Laughter Yoga flushes the lungs and fully oxygenates the blood and major organs leaving one bursting with energy and vitality. Research has also shown that cancer cells are destroyed in the presence of oxygen. In fact, many parasites and bacteria don’t survive well in the presence of oxygen; therefore an increase in the oxygen levels with laughter exercises is a great way to combat diseases.
Dr. Otto Warburg, President, of the Institute of Cell Physiology and Nobel Prize Winner said something very profound about the role of oxygen in maintaining good health: “Deep breathing techniques increase oxygen to the cells and are the most important factors in living a disease-free and energetic life. When cells get enough oxygen, cancer will not and cannot occur.”
Laughter Boosts The Immune System
A weak immune system is a major cause of sickness and ill health. One spends millions on prescription drugs while overlooking the natural coping mechanisms of the body intended to restore health. The lowering of the immune system is also somewhat responsible in the development of cancer. Laughter quickly increases immunoglobulin levels that help fight infection and increases the number of Natural Killer Cells (NK cells) in the blood, which plays a key role in cancer prevention. Disease-fighting proteins increase in gamma interferon, a blood chemical that transmits messages in the nervous system and stimulates the immune system.
Stress and Depression in Cancer Patients
Most cancer patients, family, friends, and caregivers all need some relief from the stress. They also experience varying degrees of depression. Laughter Yoga can help to counter both. Hearty laughter reduces cortisol which is the major stress hormone whilst releasing happy chemicals. This helps them get into a better mood state. Laughter may not cure the disease but it will definitely help in enhancing one’s ability to cope with the disease as well as improve the long-term chances of survival, by maintaining a positive attitude.
Social Bonding and Community Building
Laughter Yoga is fast developing close-knit communities and extended families worldwide. As elders are always seeking human contact and connection, Laughter Yoga provides an effective network of caring and sharing relationships which is the key to a happy and healthy life that dissipates loneliness.
Laughter Yoga encourages strong social bonding with friends, relatives, and fellow residents at care facilities, as well as caregivers and medical personnel.
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"Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on." ~Bob Newhart
Laughter Yoga Helps Reduce Stress In US Military Nurses
In a study conducted by US Air Force senior nurse Jacquelin Killian based in Ohio, it was scientifically proven that Laughter Yoga is the ‘best medicine’ for reducing stress and anxiety. She focused her study at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland and used Laughter Yoga as an intervention to mitigate the effects of stress on the students at USU.
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Among the participants were USU military officers and graduate students. Killian used the Positive and Negative Affect scale to monitor them for depression and anxiety before, during, and after the introduction of Laughter yoga. At the end of two weeks, the results showed a significant reduction in stress levels and that the participants were sleeping better, drinking less alcohol and exercising more.
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The science of laughter says that if we laughed for just a minute - even if it is fake; it engages the diaphragm, which is where the vagus nerve sits. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby generating a sensation of relaxation in the body, which helps to counter the negative effects of stress. Laughter yoga is good for the respiratory system, autonomic nervous system and the mind. Not only is laughter free and easy, Killian said, but it gets easier with time. The great thing about laughing is the more we do it, the easier it is to do, she added.
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Killian emphasized said that stress management using laughter, is extremely important for nurses, especially within the military, as they face a lot of stress due to their obligation and a sense of duty they feel towards others. Laughter yoga has significant health benefits as it has the ability to reduce stress almost instantaneously. It also helps in improving physical health by boosting cardiovascular function, immunity, and lung capacity while releasing muscle tension. The practice fosters resilience and helps the health care professionals to handle challenging situations in a much better way.