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"Research shows that laughter can reduce stress, boost the immune system and even help alleviate pain." As a primary care doctor, Richardson encourages patients to prioritize joy in their lives ...
Some of the benefits of using laughter therapy are that it can relieve stress and relax the whole body. [32] It can also boost the immune system and release endorphins to relieve pain. [33] Additionally, laughter can help prevent heart disease by increasing blood flow and improving the function of blood vessels. [34]
One early study that demonstrated the effectiveness of laughter in a clinical setting showed that laughter could help patients with atopic dermatitis respond less to allergens. [3] Other studies have shown that laughter can help alleviate stress and pain, and can assist cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. [4]
Humor's effect on pain tolerance is another point of interest within humor research. Hypotheses for this research include the idea that the positive feelings of humor will increase the threshold of pain that a person can endure. These ideas are implicit in some folk wisdom [26] as well as in anecdotes such as Norman Cousins' recovery story.
In the shorter term, unscheduled time and new, unplanned activities can help alleviate the stress of a packed schedule, while helping us get better at coping when unexpected challenges come up.
Studies show that the use of laughter and humour creates a sense of relief of stress that can last up to 45 minutes post-laughter. [94] Also, most hospitalized children have been seen to use laughter and play to relieve their fear, pain and stress.
Relief theory suggests humor is a mechanism for pent-up emotions or tension through emotional relief. In this theory, laughter serves as a homeostatic mechanism by which psychological stress is reduced [1] [2] [6] Humor may thus facilitate ease of the tension caused by one's fears, for example.
In these situations, people usually laugh in an unconscious attempt to reduce stress and calm down, however, it often works otherwise. Nervous laughter is often considered fake laughter and even heightens the awkwardness of the situation. [3] People may laugh nervously when exposed to stress due to witnessing others' pain.