I heard a few very interesting things said about laughter therapy the other day and its benefits on the body, so I thought I would into it more.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/06/healthandwellbeing4
In The Guardian Newspaper article it says:
Laughter not only provides a full-scale workout for your muscles, it unleashes a rush of stress-busting endorphins. What's more, your body can't distinguish between real and fake laughter - any giggle will do
What is it?
The elation you feel when you laugh is a great way of combating the physical effects of stress. When we laugh, our body relaxes and endorphins (natural painkillers) are released into the blood stream.
A laughter therapist's aim is to help you laugh more easily. Therapy is available in group or individual sessions - these start with a warm-up followed by a range of activities designed to get you giggling. Laughter doesn't come easily to everyone, but luckily the body can't actually distinguish between real and fake laughter. So faking it has the same beneficial effect.
I've tried it and it actually works! I tried just laughing and also watching some comedy in TV and its true I did feel better.
'We were born with the gift of laughter. Laughter is a natural medicine. It lifts our spirits and makes us feel happy. Laughter is a contagious emotion. It can bring people together. It can help us feel more alive and empowered.
Laughter therapy, also called humour therapy, is the use of humour to promote overall health and wellness. It aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stresses or discomfort.
Research supporting laughter therapy
A growing body of research supports the theory that laughter may have therapeutic value.
For years, the use of humour has been used in medicine. Surgeons used humour to distract patients from pain as early as the 13th century. Later, in the 20th century, came the scientific study of the effect of humour on physical wellness. Many credit this to Norman Collins. After years of prolonged pain from a serious illness, Cousins claims to have cured himself with a self-invented regimen of laughter and vitamins. In his 1979 book Anatomy of an Illness, Cousins describes how watching comedic movies helped him recover.'
See the rest of the article from the Cancer treatment Centers of America here:
http://www.cancercenter.com/treatments/laughter-therapy/
See the Radio 1s laughter yoga session here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5kr3LY0OH8
