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The beauty and benefits of laughter

23 June 2019

Laughter can help us to experience freedom and happiness at the same time. Being more conscious of laughter and its effects can help us concentrate on our positive feelings more!

Girl laughing

It sure is fun to share a good laugh with those around you, but did you know laughing can also help to improve your physical and mental health? By seeking more opportunities to laugh, you can improve your emotional health, strengthen relationships, de-stress and find greater happiness.

What makes laughter so special?

One of the most beautiful attributes of laughter is how contagious it is! We can easily start laughing against our will, when somebody next to us bursts into laughter. I’ve found that even if being alone is more comfortable, making the effort to go out more and meet people is always a good move, because other people’s happiness can make us feel happier.

The effects of laughter on our body

Laughter affects our whole body and can help to release stress and negative feelings for individuals as well as for groups. It can create balance, reduce stress and makes us interact with people. It is even considered to be a hard-physical workout. When you laugh, the muscles in your stomach expand and contact – a free work out!. Meanwhile, the muscles not directly participating in the act of laughter are getting an opportunity to relax. When it comes to calorie burning, laughing a hundred times has been compared to a fifteen-minute bike ride! No wonder we often feel completely relaxed once we’ve stopped chuckling.

A real example of this wonderful effect of laughter is the case of Norman Cousins, who suffered from chronic joint inflammation and cured himself by watching comedies and laughing at them. He realized that after laughter his pains were less intense, so he continued his therapy, and even wrote a book on it!

That's all very positive and all, but what if I can't make myself laugh?

There is an answer to that too! Laughter Clubs or Laughter Yoga exists!

Laughter clubs are based on the fact that simulated laughter quickly turns into real laughter after some time. The founder of these Laugh Clubs was an Indian doctor, Madan Kataria, and now they exist all over the world – and of course, we can even find them in London!

Although it may be a little awkward at the beginning, you quickly ease up and end up having a great time! Not only do you leave happier, but as the act of laughing together strengthens social bonds, you also leave with new friends! The sessions are usually completely free and you will definitely have a good laugh!


By Nicol Nogradi, Social Sciences with Quantitative Methods