From stress relief to social bonding: exploring the physical and mental health benefits of laughter

Laughter is a physical manifestation of joy and humor. And, although there’s no official scientific consensus on why we laugh, there are some theories. Three of the most prominent theories out there are release theory, superiority theory, and incongruity theory. Release theory states that laughter is a physical manifestation of repressed motivations and desires. Superiority theory, on the other hand, claims that laughter exists to increase our self-esteem at the expense of others. While incongruity theory insists that humor is created by a sense of incongruity between two or more subjects in a joke. To further get to the bottom of why we laugh, another study identified five different types of laughter: genuine/spontaneous, self-induced, stimulated (by say tickling or a funny joke), induced via psychoactive drugs, and pathological laughter which is often due to damaged neural pathways in the cortex and brainstem.

According to British social anthropologist Robin Dunbar, famous for Dunbar’s number — an estimation of an individual’s social group size — claims that laughter may be a type of “social grooming,” a means to connect us to others and expand our social network.

Health psychologist Grace Tworek, PsyD, broke down the top three physical health benefits of laughter:

1. Laughter is great for your parasympathetic nervous system and can actually lower stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins, increasing pain tolerance, and boosting your mood.
2. Laughter also increases oxygen flow in your body. “When we get all this oxygen to our organs [through laughter], our heart rate decreases, brain fog can dissipate,” Dr. Tworek explains to Cleveland Clinic. “It’s the opposite of the stress response. Increased oxygen can help you think more clearly and just allow your body to let go.”
3. Laughter is good for your heart. Early research suggests laughter can increase blood flow, decrease stress hormones, reduce your risk of heart attack, prevent heart disease, and increase HDL, also known as the “good” kind of cholesterol.

Other positive benefits of laughter include a boost in immunity, decreased pain, and relaxed muscles. Laughter yoga, an Indian technique where participants are instructed to mimic the act of laughing to achieve positive psychological outcomes, has been touted as successful in reducing stress and anxiety, and even improving sleep in Parkinson’s Disease patients.

The benefits of laughter can be broken down into both short-term and long-term benefits.

Short-term benefits of laughter

• Stimulates many organs.
• Activates and relieves your stress response.
• Soothes tension.

Long-term benefits of laughter

• Improves your immune system.
• Relieves pain and/or increases pain tolerance.
• Increases personal satisfaction.
• Improves your mood and self-esteem.

The benefits of laughter are not just limited to your body but have also been proven to positively affect your mind. Even during difficult times like a health scare or a bad breakup, a smile and/or a laugh can go a long way to improve your overall mood. And laughter is actually contagious — just hearing giggles from the apartment next door can encourage your facial muscles to contract into a laugh, a lot like the contagious nature of a yawn.

In an article for The Washington Post, laughter researcher Sophie Scott says, “Cortisol is a stress hormone that laughter lowers.” Even the anticipation of laughter “drops your adrenaline” and decreases the body’s fight-or-flight response. “All of these things contribute to you feeling better when you’ve been laughing.”

Laughter…

• alleviate distressing emotions like anger and anxiety.
• can shift your perspective and allow you to see certain situations more clearly, which can help diffuse conflict.
• adds joy to your life.
• eases tension and anxiety.
• lowers cortisol, relieves stress, and enables you to recharge.
• improves mood and boosts energy.
• strengthens resilience.
• brings you closer to others, which can be truly life-changing.

In one study that included 966 participants and spanned 24 different societies, researchers played sound bites of people laughing together. In some instances, the pairs were total strangers, in others they were friends. Participants were asked to listen to the laughter in each sound bite and determine the level of closeness. Not surprisingly, participants were able to reliably detect the difference between the strangers and the friends, approximately 67% of the time. These results speak to the value of laughter in building close relationships, as well as our keen ability to sniff out less-than-genuine laughter.

A good sense of humor is even one of the top traits we search for in a mate. Humans are social creatures, so sharing a laugh with someone is one way to signal, “hey, I get you.” Jokes and the (hopefully) authentic laughter that follows, can often lead to deeper conversations. “Laughter is more than just a pleasurable activity… When people laugh together, they tend to talk and touch more and to make eye contact more frequently,” writes Gretchen Rubin in her book The Happiness Project.

The 19th century poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote: “Laugh, and the world laughs with you.” But what did she mean, exactly?

• Laughter is contagious. There’s a laugh track in most TV sitcoms for a reason…
• Most laughter comes from spending time with friends and family, not from a joke book or stand-up special.
• Laughter is an effective tool for keeping relationships feeling fresh, developing close bonds, and for healing disagreements and resentments.
• It gets you out of your head and off your phone.
• Laughter helps you express your emotions.
• And it reduces tension during a disagreement and is an overall life-saver when it comes to diffusing conflict at work, school, home, in your relationships, etc.

So, make it a point to share a laugh with others, often.

If laughter really is the best medicine, how can you incorporate it more into your daily life? Here are a few ideas you could try:

• Keep funny videos, memes, shows, podcasts, movies, books, comics, or articles on hand for when you need a little levity. Share them with a friend to spread the joy.
• Seek out stand-up and improv shows nearby.
• Spend more time with friends and family who you feel most comfortable around.
• Buy a joke book or keep a journal with your own jokes and funny anecdotes to reflect back on next time you’re feeling down or stressed out.
• Spend time with kids (or pets) — a reliable source of play and giggles.
• Try laughter yoga either online or in person, if it’s available in your town. It might feel forced at first, but you’ll be surprised by the inevitable spontaneous laughter.

As you embark on your laughter journey, take note of feeling just a little bit lighter and more optimistic. That’s how you know it’s working. Whatever you do, if something makes you laugh — don’t hold back! Belly laughs, the ones that make your cheeks hurt and your eyes well up, are a supercharged dose of goodness that’s always available.