Benefits of Laughter and Good Humor
More and more studies are certifying the positive effects of laughter on mental health. Research on the influence of emotions on various pathologies dates back to ancient Greece, where it was already established that there was a relationship between mind and body. Since then, research has continued on how certain emotions, such as anger, can affect psychophysiological disorders such as heart conditions. Although there are more studies that focus on the effects of negative emotions on health and disease, we now know that there are many benefits of laughter and humor. Laughter activates certain areas of the brain, making us feel better, seeing problems as less serious, feeling less stressed, happier, and more energized. Freud, the father of Psychoanalysis, spoke of „bursting into laughter” as a mechanism used by our bodies to release tension and anxiety.
Psychological Benefits of Laughter
– Reduces stress and anxiety: When we laugh, we release a hormone called „endorphin,” associated with a feeling of happiness. The more we laugh, the more endorphins we generate, increasing our sense of well-being. Additionally, laughter also releases „dopamine” and „serotonin,” substances that combat mood disorders such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Laughter also reduces the level of „cortisol,” which is associated with stress, and regulates levels of „adrenaline,” a hormone that helps our body deal with alarm and stress.
– Promotes resilience: Laughter develops the innate or developed ability to overcome negative situations and emerge stronger. Developing the ability to laugh at ourselves or our problems can help us put our difficulties into perspective.
– Improves memory: Laughter oxygenates the brain and relaxes the mind. When we laugh, we take in twice as much air into our lungs, oxygenating our entire body.
– Enhances creative thinking and imagination: Good humor and laughter are closely associated with creative thinking. This allows us to find solutions to our problems as laughter and humor enhance our creativity.
– Increases self-esteem: We feel better and value ourselves more.
– Improves social relationships: Laughing activates cortical areas responsible for social relationships. When we share laughter with others, interpersonal relationships improve, strengthening emotional bonds.
– Promotes empathy and reciprocity: Laughter activates mirror neurons, which allow us to imitate and put ourselves in others’ shoes.
– Facilitates forgiveness: By improving interpersonal relationships and increasing empathy, we are more willing to forgive.
Physical Benefits of Laughter
– Skin rejuvenation: Laughter has a toning and anti-wrinkle effect. When we laugh, our hearts beat faster, more air enters our lungs, improving circulation, oxygenation, and the elimination of toxins.
– Increase in endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline, improving our physical well-being. Endorphins even affect pain receptors in the brain and act as natural analgesics.
– Reduction of stress hormone cortisol.
– Clearing of the nose and ears due to head vibration caused by laughter.
– Relaxation and improved sleep, reducing insomnia.
– Lowering blood pressure and improving respiratory capacity, preventing heart attacks and allowing proper oxygenation of our organs.
– Strengthening of the immune system: Laughter stimulates the production of more antibodies that fight against viruses and bacteria, reinforcing our body.
– Activation of mirror neurons, responsible for imitating behaviors, making laughter contagious.
– Improvement in digestion and elimination of fats and waste due to abdominal contractions and improved digestive process.
– Relaxation of muscle tension and strengthening and toning of infrequently used muscles. When we laugh heartily, over 400 muscles are activated!
– Increase in life expectancy as a result of all the aforementioned benefits.
Types of Laughter
– Spontaneous or genuine laughter: Arises naturally from the expression of positive emotions or through the activation of mirror neurons.
– Rehearsed or unconditional laughter: Intentionally produced and doesn’t require any external stimulus. It is not associated with humor or specific thoughts or emotions, but it may lead to spontaneous laughter.
– Stimulated laughter: Results from physical or reflex action of external stimuli on the facial muscles or other sensitive areas of the body, such as tickling.
– Induced laughter: Generated as a primary or secondary effect of drug or substance consumption. It is hollow and superficial.
– Pathological laughter: Lack of control over its expression, duration, or intensity. It is not associated with specific stimuli or emotional changes. It is a consequence of central nervous system injuries caused by neurological diseases or present in certain mental disorders. For laughter to generate physical and psychological benefits, it must be spontaneous and authentic. This is known as the Duchenne Smile, which is the product of an impulse that responds to processes in the limbic system, the area of the brain where emotions are processed. However, a fake, forced, or voluntary smile originates in the motor cortex, the brain region that „sends messages” to our muscles to move. Nevertheless, rehearsed laughter also has some benefits compared to spontaneous laughter, as it is more accessible, requires little effort, is independent of personal characteristics or socioeconomic context, requires less emotional involvement, and can lead to spontaneous laughter. For these reasons, laughter can also be used as a therapeutic element in laughter therapy.
Laughter and Humor
Humor has a key element: the factor of intelligence or wit. It is a more mental process and less physiological than laughter. It is related to emotional management and, in a way, is an attitude towards life. A sense of humor, as a trait of personality, is one of the main strengths of human beings. Laughter is a biological response to certain stimuli. How do we laugh? A stimulus must activate a part of our brain called the hippocampus, the processing center for memory, and also directed towards the amygdala, the processing center for emotions. This activation triggers the cortex, which is responsible for intellectual processes, and from there, a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens is activated, inducing a smile and laughter.
Types of Humor
– Affiliative humor: Directed towards others and positive. Involves joking, telling funny stories, and laughing with others to improve relationships.
– Aggressive humor: Directed towards others and negative. Involves self-promotion at the expense of the relationship with others. It includes sarcasm, mockery, and using humor to manipulate or criticize others.
– Perspective-taking humor: Directed towards oneself and positive. Promotes a humorous view of life and uses humor in emotional regulation and coping.
– Self-destructive humor: Directed towards oneself and negative. Uses self-criticism through humor. This type of humor is associated with high depressive symptoms.
Did you know?
– The use of humor as an alternative and complementary therapy in elderly individuals with depression can be beneficial in improving their quality of life and reducing depressive symptoms.
– Positive types of humor can act as protective factors against depression, while negative types can act as risk factors and promote cognitive distortions.
– Aggressive humor is more commonly used by men than women, and in women, affiliative humor is associated with lower levels of life satisfaction compared to men.
– There are professional experiences regarding the effects of a positive attitude and optimistic thinking on the healing process of diseases such as cancer, even in some degenerative disorders.
„The laughter is the universal solvent of worries” – Álex Rovira, Spanish writer, economist, international speaker, and consultant.
Celia Esteban Abajo, Psychologist at Aesthesis Psychologists Madrid
References: Callejo, A. (February 12, 2018). Benefits of… [provide hyperlink to the full reference if available]
