Laughter strengthens heart and immunity - research findings

Sincere laughter can be as healthy as exercise. That's the conclusion of doctors and researchers studying the effects of laughter on the heart, immunity and overall health.

Michael Miller, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, compares laughter to regular physical activity.

"Just as we recommend exercising three to five times a week, the same advice is to laugh heartily at least two to five days a week," he says.

From 'laughter clubs' to laughter yoga

The idea of conscious laughter was developed in the so-called "laughter clubs" that emerged in India in the 1990s. Their founder, physician Madan Kataria, combined scientific evidence on the benefits of laughter with the breathing practices of yoga and simple physical exercises.

Participants in these sessions first laugh intentionally - making sounds, moving around, doing diaphragm exercises. However, after a few minutes, artificial laughter often turns into real laughter.

According to American comedian and speaker Melanine Bee, creator of the humour practice Laughasté, the key is to allow yourself to look awkward.

"It's weird at first, but that's what helps you let go of clamps and start laughing for real," she explains.

What happens in the body when we laugh

The scientific study of laughter - gelotology - began to develop rapidly in the 1960s. One of its founders, Stanford University psychologist William Fry, discovered that laughter boosts levels of immune-supporting cells.

Modern research confirms: laughter stimulates the production of endorphins - natural painkillers. It also promotes the release of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels, reduces blood pressure, inflammation and "bad" cholesterol levels. As a result, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced.

"After a good laugh, a person feels relaxed and light - almost like taking a painkiller," Miller notes.

Artificial laughter works, too

According to medical psychologist Jenny Rosendahl of the University of Jena (Germany), even intentional, "artificial" laughter has a physiological effect. In a meta-analysis of dozens of studies, she found that laughter therapy lowers glucose and stress hormone cortisol levels, reduces chronic pain and improves mood, especially in the elderly.

This is why laughter yoga is often used for people with depression, cancer, and other conditions that make it difficult to laugh spontaneously.

How to add laughter to everyday life

Experts advise treating laughter as a skill that can be trained. These can be simple exercises:
- looking into each other's eyes and repeating the "ha" sound for a minute;
- inhale deeply, hold your breath and laugh on the exhale;
- participate in online classes or laughter clubs.

The key is not to force yourself to be cheerful, but to remove internal limitations. Then, as experts say, laughter becomes "childlike" - spontaneous and unconditional.