© Kindel Media/Pexels Pain in the neck? You need a laugh
Study into health benefits of comedy
Watching TV comedy can halve the agony of chronic head and neck pain, a new study has found.
It's thought that watching funny clips triggers the release of endorphins that act as natural painkillers
The research was conducted by the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health and published in the medical journal, Cranio. They said was the first time the effect of laughter on chronic head and neck pain had been studied.
Thirty-five men and women took part in the trial and found significant improvement in their pain levels watching clips for just a week.
Researchers used the app LaughMD, which curates comedy clips – including classic shows and cartoons – for the purposes of lowering stress and pain.
Their paper said: ‘Laughter rmay be an effective adjunct to manage pain’.
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