“Laughter is healthy” is the popular saying. In fact, the positive effect of laughter can also be proven from a medical point of view. It is not for nothing that laughter has been used as a therapy in the USA since the1980s. In the meantime, humorous visits with clowns have also been held in many European countries with the aim of cheering up sick children and making them forget their everyday lives. Laughter therapy is also used with dementia patients.
This is what laughter does to the body:
- Laughter improves lung function and provides the brain with oxygen.
- Laughter increases the immune defense and stress hormones are reduced.
- 80 muscles are needed by humans to laugh.
- One minute of laughter helps health as well as 10 minutes of jogging or 30 minutes of relaxation exercises.
More facts about laughter
What else you should know about laughter:
- 19 different types of laughter have been discovered by American scientist Paul Ekman. Only one variety is genuine. All the others serve to adapt within society. For example, smile out of politeness or to hide insecurities.
- The ability to laugh is innate. Infants can laugh up to 500 times a day. However, through education and social constraints, laughter is reduced with age.
- The science that studies the effect of laughter on the body and psyche is called gelotology (from the Greek “gelos” – laughter).
