A recent study published in the BMJ, found that laugher was as effective as eye drops for treating dry eye disease.
The researchers at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, the largest ophthalmic center in China, recruited 299 participants with symptomatic dry eye disease who were randomly assigned to two groups. For eight weeks, four times a day, one group used artificial tears and the other group used “laughter therapy.” The laughter treatment consisted of repeating the phrases “Hee hee hee, hah hah hah, cheese cheese cheese, cheek cheek cheek, hah hah hah hah hah hah” 30 times for each 5-minute session.
“Laughter exercise was non-inferior to artificial tears (0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid) in improving dry eye disease symptoms and clinical signs,” concluded the study authors who added that laughter therapy has been successfully used to alleviate depression, stress, and chronic pain while strengthening the immune system.
“The benefits in this quirky study suggest that laughter is a potent medicine,” says board-certified internist Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, bestselling author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! “A good comedy might have inspired more laughter among participants and possibly even better results. But the bigger takeaway is that our body is the ultimate bio pharmacy — stocked with sophisticated medicines and metabolic pathways that can deliver amazing cures —even through shedding tears of laughter.”
According to Dr. Teitelbaum, laughter has been known for its healing effects since ancient times. Proverbs 17:22 in the Bible proclaims, “A joyful heart does good like a medicine; but a broken spirit dries the bones.”
“Every doctor has anecdotal evidence that validates this proverbial wisdom,” he says. “Norman Cousins, famed author and editor-in-chief at the Saturday Review magazine, healed himself in 1964 of a painful, life-threatening disorder through vitamin C and laughter when conventional medicine offered no relief.
“Cousins watched Marx Brothers movies and reruns of TV’s Candid Camera, among other laugh-inducing programs. His doctors were skeptical, but the patient laughed his way to a successful recovery,” notes Teitelbaum.
According to the Journal of Neuroscience, laughter releases endorphins in the brain through opioid receptors. This induces a state of euphoria similar to the reaction from addictive narcotic drugs without the side effects.
Here are some other ways laughter can benefit your health:
• Weight loss. Laughing burns calories. In fact, cracking up at just one joke can burn up to 40 calories, according to a Vanderbilt University study. This could lead to a weight loss of three to four pounds over the course of a year if you learn to laugh daily. Researchers determined that the increase in heart rate and oxygen consumption during funny moments makes the heart beat faster and the body burn fat.
• Mimics the effects of exercise. Research conducted by University Of Maryland Medical Center found that when you laugh for 15 minutes, the increase in the diameter of the blood vessel is similar to what you get when you run, jog or do an aerobic-like activity. The physical act of laughing, the contracting of muscles, and resulting biochemical reactions increase heart rate, help blood travel better to the muscles, and cause the same endorphin release as running.
• Relaxes the body. According to Helpguide.org a good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving the muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes later.
• Protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
• Dispels anger. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment.
• Helps you stay mentally healthy. Laughter makes you feel good, says Helpguide.org. And this positive feeling remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.