We´ve all heard the saying "laughter is the best medicine". You´ve probably felt it yourself. How great you feel after a good laugh? How it helps you relax and fills you with energy and good emotions?
A recent assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that depression and stress-related problems will be the most widespread health problem on the planet by 2030, closely followed by autoimmune diseases and allergies. It's no surprise that those two follow, as more and more research suggests that our emotions and the immune system have a complex relationship that works in both directions.
Thankfully there are many natural and healthy ways to reduce stress. Laughter being one of them.
Laughter is part of a universal language known to all human beings. Laughter is a specific type of social communication that individuals use to express positive emotions and elicit positive reactions from others.
Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones, increases the production of health promoting hormones such as endorphins, and strengthens our immune system. It exercises and relaxes muscles, improves breathing, stimulates blood circulation, and increases pain tolerance. When it comes to psychological aspects, laughter reduces stress, anxiety and tension and fights depression. It increases self-confidence, gives people hope and fills them with energy. Laughter also promotes creative thinking and better communication. It´s contagious and makes people more friendly and helpful.
Healthcare professionals and educators could harness the power of laughter to improve health, teaching and learning. When used correctly, humor can build relationships and improve students performance by better holding their attention, reducing anxiety, increasing their engagement and ambition.
Humor creates an ideal environment for learning.
Throughout my carrier I´ve used humor to “brake the ice”, build trust and get to know my students. I also use it to create a pleasant and positive work environment for both me and my students. Sometimes I even use it to de-escalate situations where my students are struggling with their emotions. I´ll give you an example. A few years ago I was on my way to the classroom to teach. As I passed the schools entrance, I saw a young student standing outside in the cold, wearing only jeans and a T-shirt. He was furious. Screaming, hitting and kicking the snow. I had no idea what had happened, but this was not uncommon. He struggles with ADHD and often loses his temper. I walked outside. I knew I had to snap him out of his reptilian fight or flight brain and bring his brain activity to his prefrontal cortex, where he could think and reason. I watched him blow of steam for a while. When I saw he was getting tired, I asked him: "what was it again you were telling me about your mom earlier?" “That she gets seasick from looking at an aquarium?". And just like magic, his anger was gone. He started laughing and replied "yes but we don't have a goldfish anymore. Now we have a cat". "Well that´s good!" I said, "I guess you can´t get seasick from looking at a cat?". He burst into laughter, looked at me funny and shook his head at my silly comment. With just a couple of sentences, a little bit of humor and humanity, the situation was defused. He took my hand and we walked together to the classroom.
Humor is not only relevant in the education system. It also belongs in the healthcare system. For instance, when individuals have to learn how to deal with chronic pain and mental illness. To learn methods to cope with chronic pain or improve mental well-being, people often receive various types of education about exercise and diet, relaxation techniques, cognitive therapy and more. Research shows that humor strengthens the bond between patients and their healthcare professional and increases the chance of patients following the advise they are given. By using humor I don´t mean constantly telling jokes. It just means being able to lighten the mood at the appropriate time, to increase the patients well-being and build trust.
Social workers, nurses, police officers and soldiers among others often use dark humor (a type of humor that makes light of difficult or serious situations or experiences) to be able to do their jobs. It reduces stress and gives people a break from reality. Dark humor is in the gray area between positive humor and negative humor. Dark humor can hurt someone's feelings if used inappropriately. If dark humor starts being at someone's expense, it´s a sign that the professional might not be providing quality services anymore. Friendly banter and appropriate humor improves workplace moral and enables people to do mentally demanding work.
Laughter can also make the grieving process more bearable. Laughter promotes positive changes in our body and in a gentle way, it helps people distance themselves from sadness and difficult emotions. It gives them a much needed brake and ignites hope that counteracts the stress of losing someone you love.
Research shows that people who are naturally more inclined to humor, find it easier to experience positive effects on their lives following difficult events. People who see the brighter side of life, also cope better with stress.
According to psycho-neuroimmunology (the study of interaction between the mind, the nervous system and the immune system), we are one entity. Everything is connected and works together and what affects one part of the body affects them all. Grief, trauma, depression and stress have multiple negative effects on our health. Laughter, on the other hand, has multiple positive effects. It is an underrated natural remedy, which combined with exercise, a healthy diet, some form of meditation or relaxation and good sleep, can go a long way in increasing our quality of life.
I am a big fan of natural ways of improving your health. Laughter being one of my favorites.
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