Laughter is a positive emotion and if you see someone laughing it means the individual is happy and stress-free. According to cognitive psychology, laughter is an external signal that can tell the group everything is OK, and we can relax. After all, laughing is contagious. For example, it is more likely that you would laugh too if you hear someone else laughing.
Benefits of Laughing
• Reduces Stress and Pain: Laughter releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers, and decreases stress hormones, promoting overall relaxation.
• Boosts Immune System: Laughter increases oxygen intake and decreases cortisol levels, enhancing the immune system. It normalizes blood pressure.
• Improves Mental Health: It triggers the production of dopamine and serotonin, reducing anxiety, anger, and symptoms of depression.
• Enhances Cognitive Functions: Laughter increases** the ton amount **of neurotransmitters in the brain, improving cognitive functions and memory.
• Combats Diseases: It boosts the production of antibodies such as gamma interferon, blood platelets, T cells and B cells, which fight diseases, including cancer.
• Strengthens Social Bonds: It resolves conflicts, promotes teamwork, and enhances workplace connections and friendships.
What Is Laughter Therapy?
Experts believe that laughing can be used as a therapeutic tool to relieve and treat a person who is unable to cope with sadness, manage stress, and other negative feelings. Laughter therapy or laughter yoga is linked to our physical, emotional and mental well-being – even our relationships.
The therapy is conducted individually (one-on-one sessions with psychologists), in humour rooms in hospitals, yoga classes, or in groups for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and other saddened mental states through means of laughter. The underlying principle of this technique aims to provide therapeutic benefit by participation in genuine or forced laughter. The method involves the simple act of physically laughing. It may or may not involve laughing at jokes or any type of humorous content.
What to Expect from a Laughter Therapy Session?
Laughter therapy is available both in group settings as well as individual sessions. It invariably includes some warm-up exercises followed by a range of activities specifically designed to induce giggling. Depending on the condition of the individual and the reason for exploring this therapy, a session may include one or more of the activities like warm-up exercises, breathing exercises, elation and relaxation, joke sharing, tongue twisters, funny movements, dance and songs, and exploring other laughter triggers. One may warm up with gradient laughter (smile, giggle and then let it grow into laughter) or have a hearty laugh by raising your arms up and down.
Please note: This therapy is not recommended for pregnant women, patients who just underwent surgery, or people with hernias. Even those suffering from a cold may avoid sessions as they might spread infection while laughing.
