Life, as a wise person once observed, is what happens when we’re making other plans. In other words, the universe isn’t really listening when we formulate our to-do lists.
But while we can’t control what is tossed or hurled at us on a daily basis, we can control how we deal with it.
What Experts Say
Research by such respected entities as Harvard Medical School, Stanford University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that a positive mindset is essential for good health.
It’s one reason the World Economic Forum calls a sense of humor, “an essential life skill.” Why a Huffington Post story on the health benefits of laughter begins with this proverb: “What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” Why the University of Colorado even has a humor research lab. And why an expert quoted in The New York Times calls levity “a mindset. It’s looking for reasons to be delighted instead of disappointed in the world around you.”
So, what does a sense of humor have to do with our health? From our look at some of the research, we will say right off the bat that harnessing humor—whether by telling knock-knock jokes, watching cat videos, or streaming old episodes of Cheers—is not a cure-all.
But humor can make a difference. It can pump us with good feelings and help us better handle life’s stressors.
The Humor-Health Connection
Since stress can wreak havoc on our physical health, making us more susceptible to illnesses such as heart disease, the more we can reduce its impact on our lives the better.
Some research links humor directly to positive health benefits, while other studies cite a more indirect link.
Plus, humor is subjective. What’s funny to one person isn’t even slightly amusing to another. But despite roadblocks to studying it, many positive conclusions about humor and our health do arise.
Practically, the Mayo Clinic reports, laughing stimulates our lungs, our heart and even our muscles. Touch your core when you’re laughing and feel those strong abs!
It increases oxygen intake, thus decreasing heart rate and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. That is the nervous system that, when it kicks in, helps calm our nerves—giving our bodies a break from the fight-or-flight state we’re in all too often, explains Cleveland Clinic health psychologist Grace Tworek, PsyD.
“Letting out a good laugh,” she tells the Clinic’s Health Essential blog, “makes you feel more relaxed because it disarms your nervous system. If you think about a moment when you were finding humor in life, it can be like nothing else mattered but that genuine joy you were feeling.”
And when you call up that moment, you feel not only the joy all over again but also that feeling of relaxation and peace, which can ease some stress-induced physical symptoms, the Mayo Clinic points out. The same article states that laughter can improve self-esteem and ease anxiety and depression.
Builds Connection, Memory—and More!
Want more ways to manage stress? Check out the podcast.
Other benefits? Laughter is contagious. Laughing with others at the same lines in a movie or at a crazy family story tends to build a sense of community. A study referenced in a Harvard Medical School newsletter showed that laughing together in conversations was linked to a lower risk of having a functional disability.
Need a practical reason to laugh? Here’s one that sounds as crazy as it does intriguing: Laughing can help improve memory, reports Edutopia (the George Lucas Educational Foundation) blog, by activating the dopamine reward system of the brain.
It also reports—and this sounds almost like reason enough to be open to amusement—that having a sense of humor kick-starts our sense of wonder.
So, at least for a few precious moments of our day, find a reason to laugh—and someone to laugh with! The are great benefits to social connection, as well.
Note: Since everyone’s health history and nutritional needs are so different, please make sure that you talk with your doctor and a registered dietitian to get advice about the diet and exercise plan that‘s right for you.