Laughter really is the best medicine YOU

There’s been little to put a smile on our faces recently, but doctors are now prescribing a laugh a day to boost our mental and physical health. So can a daily giggle actually improve your wellbeing? Rosalind Ryan investigates

The weather is freezing cold, it’s the eleventy-hundredth day of lockdown and our summer holidays could potentially be shifted into next year’s diary. What on earth is there to raise a smile about in all that?

But laughter could be the best cure for the Covid blues – and potentially protect against some common health conditions too.

That’s why leading cardiologist Dr Michael Miller, from the University of Maryland, US, is now prescribing a laugh a day to help his patients reduce their risk of heart attack and help them cope with the pandemic.

Many UK hospitals already offer laughter therapy, so what exactly can laughing do for your body and brain?

Head-to-toe health benefits

When you laugh, your brain releases a number of feelgood chemicals, such as dopamine and endorphins, while it also suppresses the production of cortisol, our stress hormone.

In 2016, Korean scientists carried out a review of studies into the mental health benefits of laughter and concluded that “laughter is a… useful and healthy way to overcome stress”.

Even just thinking about laughing can drive down our stress hormones.

Another study revealed that anticipating a laugh reduced cortisol levels by 39 per cent and adrenaline – the ‘fight or flight’ hormone – by 70 per cent.

Laughter helps fight heart disease too.

Our bodies release nitric oxide when we laugh that, in turn, boosts muscle relaxation, reduces inflammation and increases blood flow. This improves our cardiovascular health and could help prevent heart attacks.

In fact, a Japanese study involving more than 17,000 men and women found those who laughed every day were less likely to experience conditions such as stroke or heart attack.

Our immune system also benefits from a good giggle.

Scientists from Loma Linda University in California discovered laughter can increase our body’s production of antibodies and protective cells, such as T-cells and natural killer cells, which help us fight off infections – perfect during a pandemic.

Simply having a good sense of humour could boost longevity though.

A 15-year study of more than 50,000 people by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that those who find plenty to laugh about are more likely to live longer, even when serious illness and infections are taken into account.

Beating the

Covid blues

Dealing with the pressure of multiple lockdowns isn’t easy, but a daily dose of laughter is key to helping us cope.

Joe Hoare, a laughter yoga coach (joehoare.co.uk), says: “When it feels like there’s nothing to laugh about, that’s the most important time to laugh.” He also recommends recalling something at the end of each day that made you smile.

“This helps rewire your brain, creating new, positive, neural pathways,” he explains.

It’s the same principle as keeping a gratitude diary. Research shows that writing down what you’re grateful for helps you become more attuned to it, so you then find more things to be grateful for, creating an ongoing cycle of positivity.

A good laugh can give your brain a break. “Laughter gives you the opportunity to step away from the situation and release a bit of tension,’ says Jill Edwards, the UK’S leading comedy coach (jill-edwards.co.uk).

“Watching or creating comedy gives you something to focus on that isn’t disappearing down a Covid news rabbit hole.”

Try laughter yoga

Laughter yoga was developed by Dr Madan Kataria in 1995 when he discovered our bodies can’t tell the difference between natural or “intentional” laughter – both

‘‘

Even just thinking about laughing can reduce stress levels

produce the same effects. From that, he developed a number of exercises that mimic genuine laughter.

“Laughter yoga doesn’t involve postures, but it’s about getting the benefits of yoga (greater relaxation, calmer mindset, lower stress levels) through laughter practices,” says Joe.

While you can’t get to a class now, there are plenty of Zoom courses to sign up for.

Take a “laughie”

A laughie isn’t a selfie of you laughing, but rather a recording of you having a good giggle.

Researchers at the University of

Derby found recording just one minute of your own laughter on a smartphone, then listening back to it, could improve your WHO Wellbeing score by 16 per cent, helping you feel more cheerful, relaxed and interested in life.

In 420 trials, the laughie triggered real laughter in 89 per cent of people.

Lead author Freda Gonot Schoupinsky says: “We know laughter is contagious, but this is the first study to show it can also be self-contagious.”

She recommends using a laughie three times a day for a week to start seeing a difference in your mood.

Watch some (almost) live comedy

With comedy clubs still closed, what’s the next best thing? Jill recommends watching comedy online.

“What really works is something that’s designed to be online,” she says.

“It brings in a different kind of intimacy.”

Sarah Millican’s Playground (sarahmillican.co.uk) or The Covid Arms with Kiri Pritchard-mclean (covidarms.com) are great places to start. Don’t forget TV shows such as Live at the Apollo or clips of comics recorded at clubs.

“That’s what stand-up as a medium is created for, to be performed in front of a live audience,” says Jill.