Humor and healing
Humor and healing encompass the idea that laughter and humor can have therapeutic benefits for physical and emotional well-being. Historically recognized, humor has been used in various cultures to alleviate stress and discomfort, with references dating back to ancient texts. Modern approaches to humor therapy include structured environments where laughter is encouraged, often facilitated by trained professionals. Research suggests that laughter triggers the release of endorphins and helps reduce stress-related hormones, while promoting immune function and improving blood flow. Different types of humor, including passive entertainment and spontaneous humor production, are utilized in healthcare settings, with some institutions employing clowns or laughter clubs to engage patients. Although observational studies indicate numerous health benefits from laughter, such as improved heart health and immune response, more rigorous scientific research is needed for definitive conclusions. Importantly, laughter therapy is considered safe and noninvasive, but it should complement, rather than replace, conventional medical treatments.
Humor and healing
DEFINITION: Therapy that uses humor to relieve physical and emotional problems.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: Circulatory system, immune system, oxygen intake, pain relief, relaxation, well-being
OTHER PROPOSED USES: Blood pressure, digestion, improvement of mental functions
Overview
The potential healing properties of humor have been recognized since ancient times. The Old Testament notes, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” Throughout the centuries, court jesters have been hired by monarchs to relieve the stress of governmental duties. As early as the thirteenth century, surgeons used humor to distract patients from pain.
In modern times, a systematic approach appears to be developing, consisting of exposure to true mirthful laughter in a supportive environment, under the guidance of a qualified leader or therapist, and combined with attitudinal healing and conventional medicine.
Mechanism of Action
Laughter is thought to trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Laughter relaxes muscles, which may then also reduce four neuroendocrine hormones associated with the stress response: epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.
Laughter moves lymph fluid around the body because of the convulsions that come from the process of laughing. This process helps clear waste products from organs and tissues and boosts the immune system. Laughter is also thought to boost the immune system by increasing both salivary immunoglobulin (IgA) and blood levels of IgA, along with IgM and IgG, a substance called complement 3, which helps antibodies destroy infected cells. Laughter boosts the immune system also by helping the body increase the number and activity of natural killer cells, the number and level of activation of helper T cells, and the ratio of helper to suppressor T cells. Laughter also is thought to increase levels of gamma interferon, a complex substance that plays an important role in the maturation of B cells, the growth of cytotoxic T cells, and the activation of natural killer cells.
Finally, laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand to increase blood flow.
Uses and Applications
Researchers have described different types of humor. Passive humor is created through entertainment, such as watching a film or reading a book. Humor production involves finding humor in stressful situations.
Hospitals and ambulatory care centers have incorporated spaces where humorous materials can be accessed, and some often have clowns and comedians perform or interact with patients to help make them laugh. Other hospitals create what are called laughter clubs or use volunteer groups to visit hospitalized persons to provide laughter. Another type of laughter therapy is laughter yoga.
Scientific Evidence
Few double-blind studies have been conducted on laughter therapy, but many observational studies exist. Among the most well-known records of the benefits of laughter and humor healing is the book Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient by Norman Cousins. In 1964, Cousins was diagnosed with a debilitating inflammatory condition. He experimented with laughter (among other complementary therapies) by systematically watching the television show Candid Camera, by watching Marx Brothers films, and by reading humorous books. He wrote “I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep.”
Much research has suggested specific positive health effects associated with humor. The first study to find that laughter helps heart health was performed by researchers at the University of Maryland and published in 2000. In this study, persons with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations, compared with people of the same age without heart disease. In the study, researchers compared the humor responses of three hundred people, one-half of whom either had suffered a heart attack or had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. The other one-half were healthy, age-matched participants who did not have heart disease.
In one study at the University of Maryland (2005), some patients were shown disturbing films and others were shown humorous films. The funny films enhanced blood vessel health. Various studies have shown other potential benefits, such as to cognitive health, pain reduction, and other areas. A 2015 study found laughter therapy improved immune response in postpartum women, while a 2018 study also found evidence of positive impacts on the immune systems of obese women. However, scientists often note that more data is needed before firm conclusions can be made.
In a five-year study of persons with leg ulcers, researchers at the University of Leeds’ School of Healthcare showed that laughing gets the diaphragm moving, playing a vital part in moving blood around the body. In a separate study by Loma Linda University in Southern California, researchers studied men and women taking medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and proved that those prescribed mirthful laughter in the form of thirty minutes of comedy every day showed considerable reduction in stress hormone levels.
Choosing a Practitioner
Usually a person does not choose a single practitioner but is placed in a group when already being treated at an institution. It also is plausible that a person could self-treat.
Safety Issues
Laughter therapy is cost-effective and noninvasive. While it is considered completely safe, patients should still inform their doctors of any plan to try complementary and alternative therapies. In addition, such therapies should not be seen as taking the place of conventional medical treatment; forgoing or delaying other recommended treatment can be dangerous.
Bibliography
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Cousins, Norman. Head First: The Biology of Hope and the Healing Power of the Human Spirit. New York: Penguin Books, 1989. Print.
Han, Byong-Hyon. Therapy of Social Medicine. Singapore: Springer, 2016. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
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"Humor Therapy." Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, 31 July 2024, www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/aa93107. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
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"Stress Relief From Laughter? It's No Joke." Mayo Clinic, 5 Apr. 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456. Accessed 4 May 2020.
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Wallach, Rachel. "For Patients in Tough Situations, Sometimes the Best Thing is Humor." Johns Hopkins Magazine, 2016, hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2016/summer/humor-therapy-nursing-medicine/. Accessed 4 May 2020.