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Because humour is healthy: how to train your laughter muscles

25.12.2023

Translation: machine translated

The fact that laughter is healthy is no joke, but has long been scientifically proven. But what if you have little reason to laugh in everyday life? Humour researchers reveal which strategies you can use to bring a big smile (back) into your life.

Many sayings have a kernel of truth. In the case of the saying "Laughter is the best medicine", this core is actually quite large. Scientists and researchers have long since shown in countless studies that laughter actually improves physiological parameters such as blood sugar levels, blood pressure and certain inflammation markers.

A whole range of positive effects on physical and mental health have also been proven. In a meta-analysis by the University of Jena, which reviewed previous research findings, many of these effects were recently confirmed once again.

Why laughing is so good for you

The Parisian neurologist Henri Rubinstein, for example, has researched why laughter is so healthy. According to the expert, laughter is "an involuntary bodily reaction to an emotion that is perceived as pleasant", which may seem spontaneous and chaotic at first, but is an extremely coordinated process in which various muscles are activated, and not just in the face.

In fact, almost your entire body is involved in laughter - there are around 80 muscles in the diaphragm and abdomen alone that are moved by humour. Zurich psychologist Peter Hain even says in an SFR article: "Intense laughter engages the muscles more than jogging or any other physical exercise."

Which is why extensive laughter can sometimes lead to sore muscles.

Laughter also ensures a good oxygen supply: When you laugh, you take in three times more oxygen than when you're in grinch mode, says expert Rubinstein.This is because when you laugh, you breathe out quickly in bursts and then breathe in again very deeply. The air stored in your lungs is almost completely depleted.

Your upper airways are cleared of secretions - similar to coughing. The science of laughter, also known as "gelotology" (from the Greek "gelos" for laughter), has also discovered that Laughter also increases the body's combustion processes, has a positive effect on fat metabolism and accelerates the excretion of cholesterol.

Other research results, some of which are not (yet) statistically proven,

Michael Titze, lecturer at the Academy for Individual Psychology in Zurich and founding chairman of HumorCare Germany, has summarised other research findings, some of which are not yet statistically proven, in his book "Therapeutischer Humor. Basics and Applications".

Laughter is said to positively change the world of thought and reduce stress, improve blood circulation and thus prevent cardiovascular diseases, as well as activate the immune system and reduce the sensation of pain.

Laughter as therapy

In view of the many positive effects, it is no wonder that laughter is increasingly being used as a therapy. According to a study by Leeds University in the UK in the journal "Social Science & Medicine", laughter therapy is particularly successful in treating depression, as it can relieve anxiety and reduce stress.

But humour can also keep us healthy or make us healthier in everyday life. "Laughter," says psychologist Hain, "is a health generator that could be switched on if we allowed ourselves to." But apparently this self-permission is not very far off: while children laugh heartily almost 200 to 400 times a day, adults only manage an average of 18 laughs over the course of 24 hours, according to a study. A paltry laughter rate and a missed opportunity in health prevention.

Laugh again - thanks to humour training

The good news: you can train your laughter muscles. "You can develop and encourage your own humour by allowing yourself to adopt humorous perspectives," says psychotherapist Peter Hain. It starts in the morning in the bathroom: Smile at yourself in the mirror and make a silly joke about yourself à la "I don't know you, but I'll do your make-up/shave you anyway." . And you can also bring laughter (back) into your everyday life with simple strategies. It will take a bit of planning at the beginning. The expert recommends reserving an hour a day for fun, funny, humorous activities, i.e. actively making time for laughter. Whether you read a funny book, look at cartoons or listening to weird podcasts, watching a comedy film or a satire programme is up to your personal preference.

Laughter is contagious

Do you find it difficult to laugh on your own despite funny input? Then simply let yourself be infected by other people's laughter. This happens quite automatically, says Graz psychology professor Ilona Papoušek. "When we watch other people laugh or hear them giggle, this activates the same regions in the brain that are active when we laugh ourselves. This prepares us to laugh along," says the neuropsychologist.

The reason for this: mirror neurons. These nerve connections in the brain, which perceive the feelings of others, give you the feeling that you need to react appropriately, i.e. to laugh too. You are probably also familiar with this "copying mechanism" related to the behaviour of your counterpart from yawning or when the sadness of a fellow human being makes you feel sorry for them. It can be shown using imaging techniques such as an EEG. Laughter is also a particularly contagious behavioural pattern because it produces a positive, rewarding effect in the brain.

In order to laugh along, you don't necessarily have to be in the same room as the person laughing. You can also be infected via a screen or display. For example, the video with Federal Councillor Hans-Rudolf Merz. This example impressively demonstrates what researcher Papousek says: namely that "the laughter of others is the most effective trigger for laughter and more effective than the content of any joke". Because as unfunny as paragraphs about importing Bündnerfleisch may be in themselves, Merz's fit of laughter at the bureaucrats' gibberish is infectious.

Fake it, till you feel it

Your laughter muscles still haven't kicked in? Then you can consciously (re)activate them - with laughter yoga, also known as Hasya yoga or yoga laughter. The idea behind it: Unprovoked, initially fake laughter is intended to help you find your way (back) to real laughter via the motor level. A combination of clapping, stretching, breathing and pantomime exercises makes it possible. Because: "We don't laugh because we are happy - we are happy because we laugh!" explains Dr Madan Kataria, yoga teacher from Mumbai and founder of the technique.

More than 7,000 laughter yoga clubs are already "training" around the world. There are also numerous suppliers in Switzerland. The group can have a supportive effect during laughter yoga training, keyword: laughter contagion. But you can also practise at home with videos like this. No joke: according to the motto "Fake it, till you make it", you will soon get sore muscles - but then from real laughter.

Cover photo: shutterstock

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Daniela Schuster

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oliver.fischer@digitecgalaxus.ch

If my job didn't exist, I'd definitely invent it. Writing allows you to lead several lives in parallel. On one day, I'm in the lab with a scientist; on another, I'm going on a South Pole expedition with a researcher. Every day I discover more of the world, learn new things and meet exciting people. But don't be jealous: the same applies to reading!

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