Laughter is a response of the body that provides us with positive emotions. We tend to think that someone laughs because he is happy or simply because there is something that has amused him. However, can the act of laughing also be a way of dealing with sadness, managing stress, and other negative feelings? In short, can it be therapeutic laughter?
In this Psychology-Online article we explain what is laughter therapy and what are its main benefits.
Index
- What is laughter therapy and what is it for?
- Benefits of laughter therapy
- Laughter brings people together and strengthens relationships
What is laughter therapy and what is it for?
The laughter therapy it's a kind of therapy using humor and laughter to help relieve pain, stress, and negative feelings. The goal of this practice is improve well-being and can be used to cope with a serious illness, such as cancer. This therapy can include games and laughter exercises, clowns, comedy movies, etc.
The therapist's goal is to help people who participate in laughter therapy laugh. This practice is available at group or individual sessions, which begin with a warm-up followed by a variety of activities designed to get the person to laugh out loud. Although laughing is not easy for everyone, fortunately our body cannot distinguish between a fake laugh and a real one, since both have the same beneficial effect.
Laughter therapy is often used as complementary therapy in therapeutic processes that include other cognitive, behavioral and emotional techniques and procedures. At present, there are numerous variants of this practice, but in all there is a common denominator which is laughter.
Benefits of laughter therapy.
Risotherapy is based on the fact that laughter has physiological effects that carry psychological benefits. Next we will see the interesting benefits that laughter therapy offers.
Increased blood flow
It has been observed that blood flow can increase up to 50%, normalizing blood pressure. When laughing, the heart rate and pressure increase significantly and then decrease to a lower-than-average level after laughing. This can exert a cardioprotective effect. Therefore, one of the benefits of laughter therapy is to favor the heart system.
Increased oxygenation
Another benefit of laughter therapy is to improve respiratory function and increase oxygenation of the blood.
Strengthening the immune system
Laughter increases the production of interferon gamma, T cells and B cells, blood platelets in general, which are antibodies made to fight diseases, including cancer. Increased production of these cells also helps boost the immune system. Laughter prevents the fight or flight response and deactivates various stress-related hormones such as cortisol. In the following article you will find other ways to lower cortisol.
Psychological effects
Laughter therapy improves our self-esteem and favors a more optimistic view of reality, which can help to better cope with problematic situations or depressive states. Also reduces anxiety in people with serious illnesses.
Neurotransmitter release
When we laugh, our body releases a large amount of neurotransmitters (such as dopamine waves endorphins) that stimulate the brain and immune system. The release of endorphins helps relieve and reduce pain. Learn about other ways to release enforphins and experience how its analgesic effects increase your well-being.
It helps to sleep
Laughter has a calming effect, it helps us relax, reduce tension and de-stress. For this reason, another of the benefits of laughter therapy is that it can help us fall asleep better, especially in people who suffer from insomnia.
Helps create and improve social relationships
Laughing is always a practice that attracts people and sometimes laughter can be contagious. When we laugh we are sending a positive message to those around us and we favor a more relaxed and relaxed atmosphere. Therefore, another of the benefits of laughter therapy is to help in communication between people, in the prevention of conflicts and in reducing the levels of aggressiveness.
Laughter brings people together and strengthens relationships.
Sharing humor is an essential part of an intimate or friendly relationship. In fact, most of the time the laughter does not come from hearing jokes or jokes, but from simply spending time with friends and family. And it is this social aspect that plays such an important role in the health benefits of laughing. You can't enjoy laughter with other people unless you take enough time to really engage with them.
Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools to maintain active social relationships. All emotional exchanges generate strong, stable and lasting relationships, but sharing laughter can also bring moments of joy and vitality. Laughter helps us to forget resentments and grudges, to release inhibitions and to express more genuinely what we feel towards other people.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is laughter therapy and its benefits, we recommend that you enter our category of Other healthy life.
Bibliography
- Carmona, M. P., & González, L. M. (2015). Laughter therapy as a complement to other medical therapies. Nursing Magazine C and L, 7(1), 73-79.
- Christian, R., Ramos, J., Susanibar, C., & Balarezo, G. (2004). Laughter Therapy: A New Field for Health Professionals. Rev. Soc. Per. Med. Inter, 17 (2), 57.
- Ruiz Gómez, M. C., Rojo Pascual, C., Ferrer Pascual, M., Jiménez Navascués, L., & Ballesteros García, M. (2005). Complementary therapies in care: Humor and laughter therapy. Nursing Index, 14(48-49), 37-41.
