The Physiologic Effects of Laughter
Many statistics exist that purport the physiologic effects of humor or laughter. Boone, Hansen, and Erlandson, though their study should be regarded with some caution, examined the cardiovascular responses to laughter (2000). As described previously, Lefcourt et al. demonstrated decreased blood pressure overall in females that score high on humor measures and smaller increases in blood pressure in response to stress in males with high humor scores (1998). Many studies have reported that the immune system is enhanced by laughter; the number of T-cells and natural killer cells and concentrations of salivary IgA, which can fight off some viruses, all increase (qtd. in Dossey, 1996). Fry has found the same effects on T-cells (qtd. in May, 1996). Buchanan, al'Absi, and Lovallo (qtd. in Hassed, 2001) and Fry (qtd. in May, 1996) have shown that stress hormone levels, such as cortisol, decrease with laughter. Cardiovascular effects of humor include decreased heart rate following laughter, stabilized (qtd. in May, 1996) or reduced blood pressure (qtd. in Hassed, 2001), increased oxygen circulation, and even reduced heart attack and stroke rates (qtd. in Strickland, 1999). Some even more extreme data indicates that people who live longer score higher on humor scales (qtd. in Hassed, 2001)!
Alternative Medicine | Laughter
Laughter as a Stress Modulator | Physiologic Effects of Laughter | Applications of Humor in Medicine