15 minutes of laughter a day is good for the heart

When you feel stressed from work, you can deliberately make yourself happier by filling your mind with happy thoughts and positive news. Recent medical studies show that watching funny TV shows can improve one’s health.

A study from the University of California Irvine College of Medicine says that anticipating a good event can also help improve one’s mood. Two days before watching a funny video, the participants already became happier. Levels of depression dropped 51 percent, confusion went down 36 percent, anger fell 19 percent, and fatigue dropped 15 percent.

Immediately after watching the funny video, the viewers’ mood improved even further. Depression and anger dropped by an amazing 98 percent, fatigue fell by 87 percent, and tension was reduced by 61 percent.

“Watching a funny video can stimulate the body’s ability to manage stress and fight disease,” says Lee Berk, lead researcher and a professor of medicine at UC Irvine College of Medicine.

Good As Gold

The value of a good laugh has been known almost 3,000 years ago, when King Solomon said, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Later on, William Shakespeare wrote in The Taming of the Shrew, “And frame your mind to mirth and merriment, which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.”

Dr. Lee Berk draws inspiration from such sources and his research on the subject dates back to the 1970s. These “laughter studies,” also called the Loma Linda University Studies, reveal the following physiologic changes in the body when we let out a hearty laugh:

First, the natural killer cells of the body increase in number and activity. These cells attack virus and tumor cells. Second, more T cells (a type of white blood cell) are activated to fight enemies. The antibody immunoglobulin A, which protects our upper respiratory tract, also increases.

More importantly, the levels of stress hormones, called cortisol, decrease when one laughs. Cortisol acts by constricting our blood vessels, which is bad. On the opposite side, our body releases good endorphins when we laugh. Endorphins are the chemicals that make you happy.

Can laughter cure cancer and heart disease? Probably not. But it can certainly lessen the pain of cancer and help our bodies fight off disease.

If watching funny TV shows is good for you, then the opposite can be harmful. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine experimented with two groups of people. One group watched a comedy movie while the other group watched a drama. After seeing the movie, all the subjects’ blood vessels were measured. The result? The comedy movie caused blood vessels to dilate, which is beneficial, while the stressful movie caused the vessels to constrict, which is bad and may lead to a heart attack.

Funny Videos In Hospitals

As a result of these “laughter studies,” Loma Linda University and Medical Center implemented several unique programs for their patients, which our local hospitals can take a cue from.

A Laughter Library was started which includes stocks of humorous books, comics, and videos the patient can borrow. Second, the television offerings in the hospital were modified to feature more humorous shows, like Mr. Bean and Charlie Chaplin.

In addition, Dr. Berk with Dr. Barry Bittman formulated the Smile Profile questionnaire, which helps doctors identify what kind of humor each patient prefers. Based on the results, doctors can give a “humor prescription,” which is a specific list of videos, TV shows, and books for the patient to watch and read.

At present, new and exciting studies on laughter are being done in cooperation with the entertainment industry and the medical science industries. Future studies will look into the use of laughter to help kids with cancer, depression, and other illnesses.

But even before the results arrive, we already know from previous research that laughter is good for you. Here are some tips:

• Don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself and your problems.

• Don’t worry over why they’re laughing. Just participate.

• Try to laugh 15 minutes in a day. It’s probably good for the cardiovascular system.

• Look for humor in various daily situations. But just don’t laugh at the expense of others.

• Associate with funny and positive people. Laughter is infectious. Avoid negative and gloomy people.

• It’s okay to watch local entertainment shows. They’re relaxing and fun to watch. Singing and chatting with a friend is also good for one’s health.

• Choose to watch happy and funny movies.

• Choose newspapers that don’t sensationalize the news. It’s not good for the digestion to eat breakfast while reading bad news. Read the lifestyle, entertainment, and health sections.

• Think funny and think positive. As Dr. Berk’s study shows, when we hope for a positive outcome and anticipate good things in our life, our health will also improve. Let’s all make use of the healing power of laughter.