Laughter is effective against stress

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Extract from the article: “While children laugh up to 400 times a day, it is unusual for adults to laugh more than ten times a day,” reports the French Cardiology Federation. However, all studies show the benefits of laughter on physical and mental health, particul...

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“While children laugh up to 400 times a day, it is unusual for adults to laugh more than ten times a day,” reports the French Cardiology Federation. However, all studies show the benefits of laughter on physical and mental health, particularly on stress.

Stress has a negative effect on cardiovascular disease. It can even lead to a heart attack. Hence the importance of preventing, or at least managing, stress, particularly through laughter. Its benefits have been demonstrated time and time again.

French neurologist Henri Rubinstein, a specialist in laughter and the functional exploration of the nervous system, shows that the association between stressful events and subsequent stress symptoms was moderated by the frequency of laughter experienced at the time of the stressful event. Laughter tends to stabilize the heart rate and lower blood pressure. Laughter increases the amount of air ventilated, cleanses our lungs, and improves blood oxygenation. Not to mention that it reduces the production of cortisol, the main stress hormone, immediately providing a feeling of well-being. Beyond that, laughter is a wonderful way to connect with others: it facilitates human relationships, reduces aggression, and defuses tense situations. So in your daily life, don't miss an opportunity to laugh.

For Professor Gérard Ostermann, psychotherapist-analyst and internist (France), laughter is an ally in combating anxiety and stress. Not only is laughter a powerful painkiller, it is also a powerful antidepressant. Laughter increases the production of white blood cells, strengthening the immune system, whereas stress, on the contrary, reduces its effectiveness. Among other things, laughter relaxes the muscles and oxygenates the brain, helping us to relax better. "The more people laugh, or when they tend to laugh, or people who laugh very often, for example, will be less prone to depressive episodes. There have been fairly serious studies showing that fifty years ago, people laughed a lot more than they do today; perhaps due to the pandemic or something else? What is certain is that it is true that laughter, in a way, relieves stress and chases away depression through mechanisms linked to the neurotransmitters we produce, namely acetylcholine, dopamine, and serotonin, which is basically the neurotransmitter of zen. So, we are indeed acting on all these parameters, on our entire cerebral microenvironment. A caricatural example is pain. Laughter relieves pain. Why? It's a real endorphin pump, and if you laugh for more than ten minutes, you'll significantly reduce your perception of pain," explains Professor Gérard Ostermann. Experts agree: we need to laugh more to beat stress and live longer.

William O.