What is Laughter?
That may sound like a funny question, but actually understanding what laughter is can help us understand why it’s so good for us.
The first thing to realise is that laughter is not the same as humour. Laughter is the physiological response to humour. It consists of two parts – gestures and sounds – and when we laugh, our brain pressures us to perform both these things at once. The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines laughter as “rhythmic, vocalised, expiratory and involuntary actions”. It is regulated by the brain, and is considered a visual and audible expression of one of several emotional states – joy and happiness being the most common.
Behavioural neurobiologist and pioneering laughter researcher, Robert Provine, discovered that all human laughter consists of variations on a basic form comprising short, vowel-like notes repeated every 210 milliseconds. Laughter can be of the 'ha-ha-ha' variety or the 'ho-ho-ho' type but not a mixture of both, he says. Provine also suggests that humans have a 'detector' that responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, which, in turn, generates more laughter. This explains why laughter is contagious.
Humour researcher Peter Derks describes laughter response as "a really quick, automatic type of behaviour. In fact, how quickly our brain recognises the incongruity that lies at the heart of most humour, and attaches an abstract meaning to it, determines whether we laugh," he says.
Why do we Laugh?
Some experts believe that the first human laughter may have begun as a gesture of shared relief at the passing of danger. And because laughter relaxes us, thus inhibiting our natural fight-or-flight response, laughter may indicate trust in our companions.
Many researchers also believe that the purpose of laughter is related to making and strengthening human connections. Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with each other. And the more laughter there is, the more bonding there is within the group.
Laughter, like many aspects of human behaviour, may have evolved to change the behaviour of others. In a threatening situation for example, laughter may act as a gesture of pacification, or as a way to deflect anger. If the threatening person joins the laughter, the tension of the situation eases.
And have you ever noticed how everyone in the office laughs when the boss laughs? Studies have found that people in leadership positions often use humour and laughter more than their subordinates, because controlling the laughter of a group – and thus the emotional climate of the group - becomes a way of exercising power.
What are the Benefits of Laughter?
There really is truth in the old adage, “Laughter is the best medicine”.
Physical Benefits:
-
Laughter relieves tension and stress, and can relax your muscles for up to 45 minutes.
-
Laughter boosts our immune system by reducing the levels of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and dopamine and triggering the release of endorphins - our 'feel-good' hormones – giving us an overall sense of well-being, and can even relieve pain in the short-term.
-
Laughter is good for your heart – it improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow. This helps to protect against heart attacks and other cardio-vascular problems.
-
Laughter can cause hiccupping and coughing, which clears the respiratory tract by loosening and dislodging mucous.
-
Laughter also increases salivary immunoglobulin A, which helps stop infectious organisms entering your body through the respiratory tract.
-
Researchers estimate that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike.
-
Laughter also exercises your diaphragm as well as your abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles.
-
It’s virtually impossible to feel anxious, angry or sad when you’re laughing.
-
Laughter increases energy levels, allowing you to get more done. This in turn gives you a sense of achievement.
-
There is a growing trend among mental health professionals to recommend 'laughter therapy', which teaches people how to laugh openly at things that they don’t usually find funny and to cope in difficult situations by using humour.
-
Negative emotions, when bottled up inside us, can cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies. Laughter allows these emotions to be harmlessly released.
Psychological Benefits:
-
It's virtually impossible to feel anxious, angry or sad when you're laughing.
-
Laughter increases energy levels, allowing you to get more done. This in turn gives you a sense of achievement.
-
There is a growing trend among mental health professionals to recommend 'laughter therapy', which teaches people how to laugh openly at things that they don't usually find funny, and to cope in difficult situations by using humour.
-
Negative emotions, when bottled up inside us, can cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies. Laughter allows these emotions to be harmlessly released.
Why do we Lose Laughter as we get Older?
Studies suggest that healthy children may laugh as many as 400 times a day, but adults tend to laugh only 18 times a day. As adults, we lose not so much the ability to laugh, but rather the number of things we genuinely find funny.
Even the most well-brought up children like 'toilet humour' – a result of their fascination with bodily functions. Infants and children are constantly exploring and discovering the world around them, and a lot of what they find seems (to them) to be ridiculous and surprising. This strikes them as funny. As we get older, there are fewer and fewer 'ridiculou'” things left to discover.
Our teenage years are often fraught with anxiety and tension. Teens usually laugh at jokes about sex, authority figures and – generally - any subject adults consider off-limits. Adolescence is an insecure time and young people often use humour as a tool to protect themselves or feel superior.
As we mature, our bodies and minds grow and change. Often, we need a certain amount of intelligence to 'get' a joke, and our senses of humour become more developed as we learn more. Adults laugh at shared predicaments and embarrassments, and our sense of humour is more subtle and less judgmental.
In today’s highly-stressed world, it is all too easy to take ourselves – and life - too seriously. We can get so caught up in the stresses and demands of daily living that we forget to see the funny things that happen all around us. Obviously, there are times and places where laughter is not appropriate, but there are also many opportunities to inject fun and laughter into our day that we simply fail to take advantage of.
Can we Learn to Laugh More?
Thankfully the answer to this is definitely, "YES!" Here are some things you can try:
-
Laugh at yourself
A self-deprecating sense of humour is very appealing, and is one of the quickest ways to endear yourself to other people. So share those embarrassing stories - the best way to not to take yourself too seriously is to talk about those times when you took yourself too seriously! -
Look for the humour in a bad situation
Finding the irony and appreciating the absurdity of life improves your mood, and the mood of those around you. -
Surround yourself with funny stuff
Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office and stick amusing magnets on your fridge. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. -
Keep things in perspective
Many things in life are beyond our control – let them go. -
Make friends with people who are fun to be with
Be with them every chance you get. -
Develop your own sense of humour
Try taking a course to help you communicate better and be a better joke-teller at that next party. Be funny every chance you get - as long as it's not at someone else's expense! -
Hang out with small children
-
Have your own comedy evenings at home
Invite friends around and tell them that everyone must wear something odd, bring something strange to eat and share a funny story (even if they make it up). -
Take a day off work every now and again and go and play!
-
Buy one of those battery-operated toys that laughs when you press a button
Press the button often! -
Have games evening at home, where you play fun board games together.
-
Make the most of comedy and comedians
Watch comedy on TV and at the movies. Book to see stand-up comedians at the theatre. Buy or rent comedy DVDs and invite friends around to watch with you. -
Make a choice to 'lighten up'
Look at the bright side of life and look for the humour in every situation. -
Make sure that you are living the life of your dreams
If you don’t know what you want out of life seek professional help to help you decide. -
Find out what makes you laugh
Then make sure you do it, read it and watch it more often. -
Deal with your stress
-
Seek professional help if you are suffering from depression, trauma, grief and bereavement or any other mental disorder.
A psychologist or other professional can help you deal with these issues so you can work through them and feel happier. -
In the bedroom
Stress, tension and performance anxiety lead to poor sexual performance for both men and women. Laughter relieves tension and stress, and can relax your muscles for up to 45 minutes, so being able to lighten up and laugh when things don’t go “quite as planned” will go a long way to improving a couple’s sexual relationship. -
With your family
The more we laugh, the more we bond. Being able to share good times and laughter will help the family to connect and leave everyone with happy memories of fun family times. -
At work
Laughter increases energy levels, allowing you to get more done. This in turn gives you a sense of achievement.