“Doctor, I have a ringing in my ears! Don’t answer.”
“My wife has a keen sense of humor. The more I humor her, the better.”
Okay, they aren’t the most sophisticated jokes ever written. They may have even caused a groan. But admit it: these two wisecracks from comedian Henny Youngman, known in his time as the “King of the One-Liner,” caused a smile, right? And while smiling, it's easier to feel better…even if only for a minute, right?
An Author Sparks Laughter Therapy
An active debate has been going on for years as to whether or not laughter, in and of itself, is a health aide. Officially, laughter therapy seems to have been inspired around 1976 by famed author Norman Cousins.
Diagnosed with a devastatingly severe condition (and with just a few months to live), Cousins decided if negative attitudes could enhance illnesses' unhealthy effects, positive thoughts could help make him better. So he checked himself into a hotel and spent hours watching Marx brothers movies.
For Cousins, every 10 minutes of solid laughter brought two hours of pain-free sleep. He continued his routine until he recovered—and wrote an article about it for the New England Journal of Medicine.
Fighting Pain?
More recently, Lee Berk, Dr.P.H., an associate professor in the school of public health at Loma Linda University, conducted a study related to Cousins’ experience. The difference was that instead of measuring the results a funny movie had on people, he found that just anticipating laughter can provide physical benefits.
Some people in the study were told three days in advance they were going to be shown a funny movie (with their choice of movie). Before the movie even started, blood drawn from these people showed they already had a 27% increase in hormones called beta-endorphins. Beta-endorphins are powerful, but natural, pain suppressants.
Boosting Heart Health
Michael Miller, M.D., F.A.C.C., director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center took Cousins’ experience into fighting heart disease. He felt it was logical that if negative emotions had a downward effect on heart health, why shouldn't positive emotions play a protective role?
So Miller and his colleagues divided people into two groups: one viewed a movie designed to cause mental stress, the others saw a comedy. What did they find? In almost everyone watching the comedy, the inner lining of the arteries known as the endothelium expanded. This allowed for better blood flow, and reduced blood platelets, preventing the clumping that causes blockages. In fact, the results were so good, they mimicked the effects of someone doing aerobics, without the wear and tear on the extremities.
Boosting the Immune System
Berk was part of a team that more than a decade ago found exposure to humor increased activity in the body’s immune system. Specifically it showed that laughter:
- Increased the number and activity level of the natural killer cells designed to attack “bad” cells, like cancer.
- Increased the antibody known as IgA, which fights upper respiratory tract infections.
- Increased the levels of gamma interferon, a protein which activates various components of the immune system.
It’s partly because of studies like this that fewer people just casually dismiss the benefits of laughter.
The Psychological Effects
Was Cousins’ recovery due to something physical, like the release of endorphins Berk cites, or was it something psychological? No one knows, but both the medical skeptics who dismiss studies like Berk’s and Miller’s and those who support them agree laughter and humor have positive benefits on your psychological health.
In fact, both humor and altruism (being selfless, helping others) are the two characteristics that consistently run high in helping people live longer. Even those who don't live longer often live better. Laughing, including at oneself, can help people bear the burdens that can develop with age.
Don't Do It Alone
While watching funny movies may keep boost spirits, don't think staying locked up inside watching the Top 100 Funniest Movies is all that's needed for feeling better. Remember that social isolation is a major factor in the depression that often develops with age. Or it becomes a vicious cycle: someone stays alone watching TV and becomes isolated--then becomes more depressed and finds it harder to think anything is funny.
That's why it's important for older adults to form some form of connection. It could be volunteering someplace, keeping connected to a religious organization, finding part-time work, even adult day care. Or consider moving into a retirement community before it seems necessary.
Ultimately remember that while Marx brothers movies might have helped Cousins, no one—not even laughter therapy’s most ardent supporters—suggest laughter be a substitute for standard therapies. By all means find ways to laugh--but don't throw out medications or abandon exercise just yet.
Wendy J Meyeroff - Hi! I've been a health writer since 1987 and much of my time has been writing on issues that affect older Americans/seniors/boomers. ...
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