One expert explains the benefits of laughter

As the Edinburgh Fringe gets under way, Naomi Humber, head of mental wellbeing at Bupa UK explains the health benefits of laughing…

Laughter is something that we all do, but scientists still aren’t precisely sure why. Thought to have derived for early social bonding purposes, one thing we do know is that laughter has lots of short-term and long-term health and wellbeing benefits. So, is there truth in the phrase: ‘laughter is the best medicine’?

Here’s five ways laughter can seriously boost your health:

1. Improves your outlook

Laughing can help to almost immediately improve your mood. Research shows that ‘laughter clowns’ used within children’s hospital wards helped patients to become significantly less anxious, with improved psychological wellbeing.

2. It can turn your mood around

When we laugh, it can have a powerful effect on the balance of chemicals in your brain. A good chuckle boosts your feelgood neurotransmitters and dopamine levels, while lowering any stress hormones you may be experiencing.

3. Helps you feel less pain

Comedy can even decrease your perception of pain. Studies have explored how endorphins can help ease pain by slipping a freezing cold wine sleeve over participants’ arms to see how long they could stand the sensation for.

Participants who’d been shown funny videos before being exposed to the sleeve could handle the pain for longer than those who hadn’t.

4. Improves your nervous system

Studies have also investigated the power of laughter in more sombre settings. Psychiatric patients being treated for mood disorders – like depression and anxiety - saw benefits to their nervous systems when they laughed – especially when they laughed together with their psychiatrist. This benefit was echoed in the psychiatrist’s nervous system function, too.

The nervous system controls heart rate and blood pressure and laughing helps to increase and regulate its activity. In the study, contagious laughter was viewed to be especially powerful to help express emotions without words.

5. Offers similar wellbeing benefits as exercise

A study shows that when you laugh, your systolic blood pressure – the force with which your heart pushes blood out – increases significantly. This force was found to increase by an amount like systolic blood pressure does after a workout.

Lots of us have felt a great deal of stress and uncertainty in recent years. During these times, you may have found yourself returning to a much-loved sitcom, or buying tickets to see some stand-up comedy. Knowing that you’re guaranteed a laugh can bring a lot of comfort and help you to switch off from your worries for a time.

We know that the brain releases lots of dopamine when you laugh. Dopamine is a powerful hormone – it makes you feel good. After enjoying a comedy gig, your reward system is triggered to make you want to seek more of that feeling. This may explain why you may feel the desire to book tickets for another gig as soon as you’ve watched one.

Published: 3 Aug 2023