King Solomon knew a thing or two about life. Research shows that laughter alone gives us countless benefits—emotional, relational, and physical. It bonds people together, defuses conflict, and is literally good for our hearts, as well as works to heal tumors, cancer, depression, and loneliness.
In his book Gesundheit!, later made into a movie starring Robin Williams, Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams explores happiness, love, and compassion as a cure to all kinds of sicknesses, documenting his journey from working at a free clinic to building a free hospital where laughter is the best medicine and happiness the surest cure. Patients were amazed that a doctor would prescribe joy, laughter, and fun to treat such things as debilitating, chronic arthritis.
“Our culture’s definition of happiness has made it an elusive goal,” says Dr. Adams, “too closely associated with major events such as birthdays and weddings. Most of us are so habituated to pain that the concept of living happily all the time may seem impossible, even unnatural.”
And yet he says we can live our lives from a baseline of happiness when we change the paradigm—viewing life as a happy journey full of surprises, not just a struggle to “get through.” Dr. Adams describes patients who claimed they felt sad all the time, saying that in fact it only seemed that way to them. It’s the same with happy people—they’re not actually happy all the time, but it feels that way to them. Happiness is an ongoing process of training your mind to accept a new norm—never easy, but always possible.
“It takes no greater effort to be happy every day than to be miserable,” Dr. Adams explains.
So let’s take a look at laughter. What are some of the benefits?
Physiologically, it offers more benefits than what many people spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on. Think of it as your gym, massage therapist, multivitamin, and ibuprofen all in one. And that’s at the very least. Among other things, it:
- Reduces stress hormones
- Increases endorphins, helping to relieve pain
- Burns calories, with benefits similar to exercise
- Promotes relaxation and healthy rest/sleep
- Helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels
- Is good for your heart, prompting healthy blood flow and blood vessel function
- Boosts immunity
If you want a handy little acronym, that makes RIBPHIB. So you might not need a handy little acronym…but those are just some of the physical positives. There are countless other emotional and social effects. For example…
Boosting mood. Laughter can dissipate Eeyore-syndrome in seconds. It can make a bad situation less “heavy” and open up your mind to new solutions to your problem.
Strengthening relationships. It quickly builds bonds between you and others. How many times have you felt better after running errands just because you were able to share a joke with a shopkeeper or bank teller? It’s the best way to break the ice with a new acquaintance or deepen relationships with your family and friends.
So now that you know what happiness does, how can you be happier in your day to day? Here are some tips to get you started.
Exercise. Most people know that exercise makes you happy by producing endorphins, the body’s natural antidepressants and pain relievers. They’re so powerful they actually mimic morphine. But not as many people know that you don’t have to drag yourself to the gym for a grueling two hours every day. Exercise could be a walk in the park, gardening in your back yard, or starring in a Bollywood movie. (Those of you who have actually done this know it to be true.) Doctors recommend at least 20 to 30 minutes three times a week, gradually building up to more.
Smile…even if you don’t feel like it. A smile is the first step to laughter, and often just the act of smiling at yourself in the mirror is enough to make you want to laugh out loud. You might feel silly doing this at first, but that’s a good thing!
Volunteer. Most of us have heard of “helper’s high,” those wonderful feelings of fulfillment you get from helping others. Service has been called one of the great medicines of life, and the best way to feel good yourself is to do good for someone else. And a great place for this kind of service is…
Community. Ms Streisand got it right: People who need people are the luckiest people in the world. We were wired that way. We need to share our lives with people who equally support and challenge us, giving us the opportunity as well as the courage to grow. And not only does helping someone get us out of ourselves, community means we have plenty of friends to help us when we need it. Which, let’s face it, is pretty often.
XOXO. Science knows that physical touch, hugs, and kisses produce the bonding or “love” hormone oxytocin, which relieves stress and makes you happy. But do we really need science for an excuse to give someone a kiss?
Chocolate. Researchers are exploring the relationship between chocolate and depression, and the more we know about chocolate, the less guilty we feel about eating it. Its effects are still being studied, but if you feel like trying out your own experiments in the meantime, look for unprocessed, non-alkalized dark chocolate or cocoa powder, with a minimum of 70% cocoa. And sadly chocolate, like credit cards, comes with a limit: 1 ounce per day is the recommended serving. For more about raw chocolate, this website looks delicious: http://www.fineandraw.com/raw.
Cats & Dogs. What would our world be like without animals? Countless studies have been done on the health benefits of pets, and no one with a cat or dog can deny that spending time with them is an instant pick-me-up.
Watch funny movies and videos. There are plenty of them on YouTube. Click here for a few of our favorites.
Read funny novels or books. Comedians’ autobiographies can be amazingly entertaining reads.
Be with funny people. You are the company you keep, so being around fun people is extremely important. It’s the same no matter whom you’re with, so limit your time with the downers in your life!
Make fun (not of others). Many, though not all, events in life are “colorless,” meaning we can paint them with whatever shades we choose—it’s like a coloring book. We get to create fun. Or not. We can make our days bright with color and meaning, gray with the mundane, or completely blank. So find humor in “the ordinary.” It’s there if you look for it.
Be thankful. “Count your blessings” seems to have become such a cliche that a lot of us turn off when we hear it. It has become…uncool. And people usually tell us this when we’re complaining about something, when we’re so riled up that counting our blessings is the last thing we want to do. So somewhere in our rationality we decide, I will be miserable just to spite you!
But the truth is that gratitude works. Try to think of one thing you’re thankful for right now. Not just pretend thankful, like “I guess I’m thankful for these socks I’m wearing” (unless you really are), but something that truly makes you happy and grateful, and focus on it. If you can think of one, you can probably think of more. And the more you think of, the happier you’ll be.
Make time for what and whom you love. Too many people think of hobbies and recreation as an indulgence. But the truth is that we can’t work without them. Studies have shown that in the end, you’ll get more done when you take a break and go out of your way to do something fun. And putting your close relationships first is probably the smartest career decision you can ever make. Who says at the end of their life, “I wish I had spent more time at the office”?
Play games. Especially with other people (mind games and blame games not included). While playing games alone (like solitaire or an online word game) can help you unwind and refocus, playing with others offers limitless potential for the ridiculous. From our experience, Pictionary, Apples to Apples, and Balderdash are all great options. Overly competitive games like Monopoly, chess, and video games, not so much. Especially Monopoly. Okay, I’ll just say it: DON’T PLAY MONOPOLY!
Spend time with your kids. Or volunteer at a daycare, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or a children’s hospital. Children just know how to have fun! They’re never too busy meeting deadlines or balancing checkbooks to laugh or play.
Here’s something else to think about—do your thoughts have a negative or positive impact on your life? More on this in my next post…
