One of the sayings that I remember from my childhood is “laughter is the best medicine.”

I was therefore interested recently to read a story about its origins. I had assumed that it was a biblical quote but it does not appear in the bible. However, it probably originates from a quote in Proverbs:

“A joyful heart is good medicine but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

Whilst researching the benefits of laughter I came across an interesting story about Norman Cousins who was an American political journalist, author, professor and world peace advocate who died in 1990 aged 75.

Remarkably, Cousins was diagnosed in 1964 as having a serious disease and was told that his chances for survival were one in five hundred and that he had just months to live.

But Cousins will to live was strong, so he decided to assume most of the responsibility for his own healing.

Having been told that he had little chance of surviving, he developed a recovery programme. It included big doses of Vitamin C, along with a positive attitude and laughter induced by Marx Brothers films and anything else that he could get his hands on to make him laugh.

Cousins developed a systematic programme for getting daily doses of hearty laughter.

He said “I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anaesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep.” It is remarkable that he was able to laugh having been told he had an irreversible disease and didn’t have long to live.

He wrote of his healing experiences in “Anatomy of an illness.” Medical tests done since then have established that there is a physiological basis for the theory that laughter is good medicine.

After his remarkable recovery, Cousins continued to study the effects of positive emotions on the human system. Eventually, he joined the medical faculty at the UCLA Medical School, a rare appointment for a person without a medical degree.

Cousins were one of the pioneers in linking laughter to healing. Since his initial explorations, his research has been duplicated by many both in and out of the medical profession. These include Dr Bernie Siegel and Dr Patch Adams. Both have written extensively about the power of humour and hope in the healing process.

A film called Patch Adams about Dr Adams work is worth watching. It is heart-warming, funny and based on scientific evidence.

During my research, I came across some information from the Mayo Clinic about the short term and long benefits of laughter, which I have set out below:-

Short-term benefits – Laughter can:

  • Stimulate many organs as it enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
  • Activate and relieve your stress response and lead to a good relaxed feeling.
  • Soothe tension, stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-term benefits – Laughter may:

  • Relieve pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders. It can also improve your immune system as positive thoughts release neuropeptides which help fight stress and illness.
  • Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
  • Improve your mood, it can reduce depression and anxiety and increase happiness.

This week why not take a few moments to think about if you need to introduce a little more laughter into your life.

This week’s quotation:

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Charlie Chaplin

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk