RWR 2
What Are the Benefits of Laughter?
There are three main advantages of laughter: health, physical, and emotional benefits.
Health benefits are one advantage of laughter. First of all, laughter helps us reinforce the immune system. According to Dr. Madan Kataria, the immune system plays an important role in keeping good health and keeping away infections, allergies, and cancers. He believes that the negative emotions like anxiety, depression, or anger weaken the immune system of the body; so reducing their struggles is worthy (1). Another health benefit of laughter is to lower the blood pressure and battle heart diseases. Many researchers agree that there are several causes for high blood pressure and heart diseases such as heredity, obesity, smoking, and stress. Dr. Kataria declares that laughter helps to control blood pressure by reducing the release of stress related to hormones and bringing relaxation. He claims if a patient is at high risk of developing heart diseases, laughter can be the best preventive medicine (2). Dr Miller, Clark, and Seidler from the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine comment that laughter is good for the heart. They found that people with heart diseases are less likely to laugh compared to people without heart diseases. They agree the old saying that “laughter is the best medicine” appears to be true when it comes to secure our health (1). Finally, laughter contributes to the reduction of pain. According to McGhee, a patient named Cousin who suffered from the spinal disease had drawn the attention of the medical staff to the pain reduction power of laughter. The patient discovered that a good belly laugh relieved his pain while watching comedy films. As the result, McGhee believes that laughter is a natural painkiller (5). In summary, those benefits listed above of laughter are advantageous to maintain good health.
Physical benefits are other advantages of laughter. For one thing, many researchers considered laughter as the best aerobic exercise. According to William Fry, a professor at Stanford University, California, a good belly laugh works muscles all over the body and improves blood circulation. Fry agrees that one minute of laughter equals ten minutes on the rowing machine. In other words, laughter stimulates the heart and blood circulation equivalent to any other standard aerobic exercise (qtd. in Kataria). Moreover, laughter is a powerful tool to increase lung capacity. Dr Kataria agrees that laughter can be beneficial for singers and actors. It helps them gain a better control over speech. Another benefit for them would be the improvement of self-confidence and the reduction of panic. Furthermore, experts say that laughter makes people look younger. When we are walking or running, all the muscles of the body are exercising. However, there is no regular exercise designated for facial muscles. Sometimes, when we laugh, our faces become red because of the augmentation in blood supply, which feeds the facial skin and makes it radiant. Laughing people are more likely to look attractive and happy (2-3). Finally, laughter provides an excellent source for cardiac exercise according to McGhee. He suggests the next time we are having a good bout laugh to put the hand over the heart when we stop laughing. We will notice that the heart is racing even after 20 seconds. He compares laughter to internal jogging and concludes that an individual is able to give his heart many good calisthenics every day by laughing (5). All in all, the physical benefits of laughter are powerful tools to exercise the body.
In addition to physical benefits, emotional benefits are also the main advantages of laughter. First of all, laughter is a powerful tool to cope with stress. In the United States, stress is considered a big killer. However, medical evidence concludes that laughter can be one of the finest, most economical, easy to practice anti measures, and the best muscle relaxant, Kataria says (1). McGhee thinks when an individual is under stress day after day, it threatens his life. He believes that anything that can reduce the level of stress hormones in the blood on a regular basic helps reduce this threat to health. He concludes that a good bout of laugher reduces four neuron-endocrine hormones, which are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormones (3). In addition to coping with stress, laughter boots the energy level and gives us more control over daily moods. According to Bernie Siegel, laughter sustains a more positive mood and reduces the amount of time in a state of irritation, anxiety, and depression (qtd in McGhee 4). Studies show that the daily mood makes a significant contribution to health especially when the same emotional state perseveres day after day, year after year. Mc Ghee agrees that “The sense of humor is one of the powerful tools to make certain that the daily mood and emotional state supports good health, instead of working on it. It s maintains a healthy lifestyle in general” (7). Ellie Katz points out that laughter is an automatic response with emotional benefits. He believes that it can make us feel more relaxed, less anxious, or angry. He concludes that laughter has the power to lead us to creativity (1). The last emotional benefit of laugher is the struggle of depression and psychosomatic disorders and the establishment of self-confident. Many psychologists say that, the negative emotions like anxiety or depression are not good for human minds and bodies. In the United States, mind-related diseases are on the rise. However, laughter has helped many people who were taking anti depressant pills and tranquillizers to get better sleep and reduce their depression. Also, people with suicidal tendencies have started living with more hope and faith according to the observation of psychologists and researchers. A psychologist named Wilson says, “Laughter in the face of tragedy can be tough, but it can be liberating. Humor and laughter represent hope and relief. And ultimately, they are going to represent victory” (1). Laughter makes us more confident and helps us develop our personalities and leadership qualities, say experts. In short, the emotional benefit of laughter leads us to be more optimistic in our daily attitudes even on the toughest.
In conclusion, health, physical, and emotional benefits are the main advantages of laughter. Health benefits are reinforced immune systems, lower blood pressure, and reduced pain while physical benefits include good exercise, increased lung capacity and excellent cardiac exercise. Emotional benefits include stress management, booted energy levels, protection against depression and mental disorders, and enhanced self-confidence. Those benefits are important for maintaining good health. When an individual knows those benefits, he will never be without humor and laughter in his entire life.
Works Cited
Kataria, Madan. “Health Benefits of Laughter Therapy” Laughteryoga. 7 Jul. 2003
<http://www.laughteryoga.com/health.htm>.
Katz, Ellie. “Playologist” Nursezone 3 Aug.2003
<http://www.nursezone.com/Stories/SpotlightOnNurses.asp? articleID=9038>.
McGhee, Paul E. “Humor and Health” Holistic. 3 Aug.2003
<www.hostilic-online.com/humor_Therapy/humor_mcghee_article.htm>.
Miller, Michael, Adam Clark, and Alexander Seidler. “Laughter is Good for Heart.”
University of Maryland Medical. 15 Oct. 2000.30Jul. 2003
<http://www.umm.edu/news/release/laughter.html>.
---. “Humor your Tumor” Laughterremedy. 7 Jul.2003
<http://www.laughterremedy.com/articles.dir/humor.html>.
Wilson, Steve. “Laughter Therapy: Humor Used to reduce Stress.” Columbian 14
Oct.2001: A1 Proquest, Green River Community Coll. Lib., Auburn, WA 8 Aug.
2001 <http://proquest.umi.com/>.