"Age is an issue of mind
over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter"
Mark Twain
Laughter can be a
powerful anti-aging weapon. And the most wonderful thing about it is that it is
free, available to everyone, and quite a pleasant medicine to consume.
"You don't stop laughing because you're
old. You grow old because you stop laughing".
Society tends to
regard humor as frivolous; however, few activities are as mentally demanding
and intellectually stimulating as humor. Humor helps you develop perspective and
take yourself too seriously.
Interestingly,
laughter is an unconscious reaction to external stimulus. We can stifle it, but
we don’t have conscious control over when or why we laugh. People of all ages,
races, and cultures share this uniquely human trait, the ability to laugh!
Research has shown
that people often laugh not just at jokes, but in social situation where they
are communicating with others. The laughter often punctuates our speech and
seems to serve as social bonding elements in our interactions with others.
Laughing uses a lot
of muscles and stimulates the immune system. It exercises our minds. Humor can
keep you mentally fit and add fun and enjoyment to your life.
Research shows that
only 30% of longevity is genetic. Therefore 70% you control with your mind on
how you think, with your body on how you keep yourself in shape, and the
lifestyle you choose to live.
The biggest factors
are psychological i.e. Attitudes, Beliefs and Coping Skills. Attitudes are such
as optimism, gratitude, having a sense of purpose and embracing lifelong
learning and change, beliefs such as thinking of oneself as youthful, believing
in making new friends all your life, and expecting to enjoy living a very long,
healthy and happy life. And coping skills such as dealing well with change,
loss of health and death of a spouse or child, forming intimate relationships.
Much has been
written lately about the benefits of laughter, but the real pioneer in this
field was Norman Cousins. Back in the 1970's Cousins studied the effect of
humor on a person's health. His ground-breaking work, as a layperson diagnosed
with an autoimmune disease, documented his use of laughter in treating himself,
with medical approval and oversight, into remission. He published his personal
research results in the New England Journal of Medicine and wrote a book about
his journey to healing called "Anatomy Of An Illness."
Hunter Campbell,
M.D., the American physician whose life inspired the 1998 movie “Patch Adams,”
took laughter therapy to a new level. In 1971, Dr. Campbell and several others
opened a free hospital in a six-bedroom home, a pilot health care facility
through which thousands of patients received unique, humor-infused care over
the next twelve years. This hospital-home evolved into the Gesundheit
Institute, a not for profit health care organization which currently offers
volunteer programs like humanitarian clowning trips to hospitals, orphanages,
refugee camps and prisons, as well as educational programs designed to help
medical students develop compassionate connections with their patients. “We’re
trying to make compassion and generosity the center core of what medicine is,”
says Campbell about the organization.
Dr. Campbell’s
ultimate goal, pending adequate financial support, is to open a free,
full-scale hospital which offers allopathic and complimentary therapies, and
inspires other medical facilities to move beyond traditional methodology.
Intending to increase engagement with life for both patients and staff, Dr.
Campbell also envisions incorporating performing arts, crafts, nature,
agriculture, recreation, and social service into this integrative facility.
Stress is one of the
most harmful factors with respect to aging. It creates facial wrinkles, it
influences digestion, and the absorption of vitamins and minerals by the body
and other body functions, which leads to the deterioration of the body over
time. Studies in the 80's found that long-term stress can have a negative
effect on our health. Feeling anxious, angry, or always tense negatively
affects our immune system.
Loma Linda
University researchers found that even anticipating a good laugh could produce
health protecting hormones. Research by Dr. Lee Berk showed a few concrete
things that happen when you laugh (or anticipate laughing):
- Beta-endorphin
levels increase by 27%
- Human
growth hormone levels increase by 87%
- Cortisol
levels decrease by 39%
- Ephinephrine
levels decrease by 70%
- Dopac levels decrease by 38%
The last three on the list are measures of stress in your body. When
these decrease, the negative effects of stress on your health should decrease
too. This alone could make laughter a major factor in long-term health,
modifying the known, negative impact of chronic stress. Beta-endorphins are
chemicals that “make you feel good” and human growth hormone improves your
immune response and helps with anti-aging.
This and other
studies have shown that laughter increased the production of antibodies,
including T-cells (known for their killing activity of tumor cells). And just in
2010, this same group published another study showing that participants who
laughed while watching a comedy increased the dilation of blood vessels by
one-fifth, and this benefit lasted for up to 24 hours. This is great news for
anyone at risk for heart disease because when blood vessels are constricted, or
blocked, this causes damage to your heart. So now you can keep your blood vessels
open and flowing with laughter instead of taking a pill. What can be better?
Some researchers
explain funny-bone medicine through a psychoneuroimmunologic (PNI)
lens; PNI is an emerging field exploring the nexuses between psycho-emotional
states and the nervous and immune systems. Some PNI enthusiasts have theorized
that laughter improves immune function by decreasing stress hormones: epinephrine,
norepinephrine, and cortisol. Since we have just recently started exploring the
frontier of PNI, though, more research is necessary to conclusively determine
why humor and/or laughter seem to boost immune system function.
Though the exact
mechanism of how laughter boosts immunity remains unclear, studies demonstrate
that humor and/or laughter generate subtle biological changes which serve as markers
of immune system activity. By exploring humor-induced variations in salivary
IgA (SIgA) levels and natural killer cell cytotoxicity, PNI researchers have
connected humor and/or laughter to immune system enhancement.
In a randomized
crossover design study, ten college students were shown two videos: one
informational and one humorous. The subjects demonstrated significantly higher
SIgA levels after watching Richard Pryor Live, indicating that sense of
humor and humor response (laughter) can affect one measure of immune activity.
PNI researchers have
found another indicator that laughter improves immune system function:
increased natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. NK cells are lymphocytes
(white blood cells) that can distinguish cancerous and virally-infected cells
from normal cells, and can destroy the former without harming the latter. As
lower levels of NK cell activity are correlated with metastasized cancer,
higher levels indicate better resistance to disease.
Definitely, laughter,
including anticipated laughter, improves our health, boosts our energy, and
without question improves your outlook on life. Laughter is part of our genetic
make-up. Babies start laughing spontaneously without coaching at a very early
age.
We can stimulate
laughter by viewing funny movies or videos, reading a funny book, reading a
joke on the Internet, however, it has been proven that most of our humor and
laughter comes from the silly things we think, hear, or share with others. When
we laugh, negative emotions are pushed away. It is impossible to be stressed
and to laugh at the same time.
Laughter also
provides exercise for the body. Laughter stimulates heart and blood
circulation, improves lung capacity, exercises facial and abdominal muscles.
Laughter exercise can be done regularly regardless of age, or level of physical
fitness.
Anti-aging reasons to laugh on a daily basis:
- Strengthens and activates the immune system
- Serves as stress relief humor by reducing levels of stress hormones
- Positive effect on brain neurotransmitters
- Lessens the perception of pain
- Can help lower blood pressure
- It improves lung capacity and blood oxygen levels
- Can aid the healing process
- Promotes relaxation of muscles
- Natural anti-aging tool
- Helps us sleep better
- It is contagious - it will extend to the people around you
- Has zero negative effects
Sources and Additional
Information:
