Laughter, the Best Therapy for Body and Soul

Laughter is healthy. However, the pressures of life make adults laugh less and less.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Children at Lalomerui Elementary School, Routa, Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, laughing cheerfully during lunch break, Thursday (21/7/2022).

The pressures of life make it increasingly difficult for adults to laugh. In fact, laughter has many benefits for a person's physical and mental health and well-being. Therefore, let's force our bodies for a moment to laugh at whatever we think is funny in celebration of World Laughter Day 2024.

Being "forced" to become an adult makes life even more difficult. Economic demands, social-cultural burdens and responsibilities, the bitterness of life's journey, as well as the increasingly limited friendships and the complicated state of the world, all decrease the frequency and intensity of our laughter compared to when we were children or teenagers.

Nevertheless, amidst the celebration of World Laughter Day, which is celebrated every first Sunday in May and coincides with May 5, 2024, we need to take a moment to laugh. Laughing is a simple, free, side effect-free, and non-contraindicated means of healthcare.

“In order to feel good, we have to practice feeling good. "Laughter is one of the most economical ways to do that," said Natalie Dattilo, psychology instructor at the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, United States, as quoted by The Harvard Gazette, January 25 2023.

Also read: Come on, laugh for our health

If not trained regularly, the pleasure and reward centers in the brain that trigger laughter will become inactive. Despite this, it is unclear why humans laugh, and not all primates do so. Laughter is believed to be an important means of forming social bonds in ancient human groups.

Since infancy, humans have been laughing. However, as age increases, especially for the elderly, the difficulty in understanding jokes makes our laughter intensity decrease.

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

A resident burst out laughing while taking a break during the Jaran Kamput procession that was circling the western area of the Mandalika Special Economic Zone, Kuta, Pujut, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara on Thursday (7/3/2024) afternoon.

Humans laugh because they realize the strangeness or absurdity of a behavior or event that is surprising. Mentally, this situation must be resolved by laughter. If not, it will actually create confusion about what is actually happening.

Therefore, laughter is beneficial therapy for the mind and body. Laughing increases mood, reduces stress and anxiety, boosts spirits, and helps us connect with others. Ultimately, laughter can improve a person's physical and mental well-being.

Professor of cognitive psychology at Grinneil College, Iowa, USA, Janet M Gibson, in her writing on CNN, April 1 2023, said that even though giggling looks silly, laughing in response to something funny will activate the brain. -the part of the brain that regulates motor, emotional, cognitive and social problems.

As quoted from the website of the Mayo Clinic, a leading health institution in the US, laughing will increase your intake of oxygen-rich air and stimulate the heart, lungs and muscles. Laughter also stimulates blood circulation and relaxes muscles, which can reduce physical symptoms caused by stress. In the long term, laughing will improve the body's immune system.

Laughter has the power to help and ease many worries.

Meanwhile, in the brain, laughing or seeing other people laugh activates the motor cortex which controls muscles, the frontal lobe which helps a person understand the context, and the limbic system which modulates positive emotions. Active parts of the brain will strengthen the connections between nerve cells and help a healthy brain to coordinate.

Laughter also makes the brain release a number of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which provides a feeling of comfort and acts like an antidepressant. Laughter, continued Dattilo, also produces endorphins which have the effect of eliminating or reducing pain.

The released serotonin will also minimize the brain's response to threats, thus limiting the release of the cortisol hormone that triggers stress and weakens the cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems of the body.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Teenage girls laughed in the midst of conversation as they took a leisurely stroll in the motor vehicle-free area of Jakarta in late May 2023.

Gibson added that good humor and laughter generated depend on a person's social intelligence and memory resources. To be able to laugh at someone else's jokes, one only needs to take that person's perspective and see everything in a lighter way.

In order to laugh, someone doesn't need to hear others laughing first. The cognitive and social skills that everyone possesses will help monitor when and why they will laugh. Therefore, people will be more likely to laugh if they gather together with others.

Although it is possible, laughter is less frequent when someone is alone. Therefore, laughter can create social bonds and enhance intimacy with others. In addition, laughing together will also create a greater effect on the body.

Laughing can also result in positive emotions and thoughts that affect a person's ability to live a meaningful life. Feeling happy or joyful can help someone understand the difficulties they face. This is what makes laughter able to build mental resilience and increase creativity.

Also read: Laugh

“Laughter in response to something entertaining is a healthy coping mechanism (a way of reducing psychological tension),” he wrote.

When laughing, someone will consider themselves or the situation around them to be less serious and can be utilized to solve problems. Therefore, the more someone laughs, the lower the stress they experience.

Practice laughter

The many and large benefits of laughter make laughter therapeutic for many things. Laughter therapy is often given to sufferers of anxiety disorders, depression, or to reduce pain in sufferers of certain diseases, such as cancer, as a behavior-based and non-medication therapy.

Although laughter does not heal or solve all the problems that arise from illness, it has the power to assist and alleviate many concerns.

You don't have to be funny to laugh.

Laughing can also be used as therapy for office workers to boost morale, creativity, and social warmth. Laughing together not only serves as a bond for workers in competitive and highly stressful environments, but also serves as a means to train empathy and hone their social skills.

One form of laughter therapy, continued Dattilo, is laughter yoga. By combining laughter therapy with the principles of mindfulness (focus), positive psychology, games, fun activities, and a number of relaxation techniques, it can provide greater healing power.

DOKUMENTASI YOGA KETAWA INDONESIA

Laughing together during one of the Indonesian Laughter Yoga sessions for the elderly, February 18 2020 in Yogyakarta.

Although the laughter produced during this therapy is different from the laughter when we hear or see something funny, the physiological impact on the body remains the same. The body only recognizes the response as laughter even if we experience it in a different way.

"One does not have to be a funny person to laugh, but by realizing the benefits of laughter through a wider interest, it can restore joy in our adult lives," he added.

As laughter is contagious, it is important to spend time with friends or family. During these social interactions, laughter is usually provoked, especially if there are individuals with a high sense of humor. However, when laughing together, it is important to be aware of inappropriate humor that may harm others.

Nevertheless, according to Gibson, laughter therapy does not always have to be done together. When alone, a person can still laugh by taking a funny perspective on everything, from watching comedy shows to writing down funny things experienced throughout the day.

Also read: Humor, Reflecting While Laughing

Engaging in hobbies and enjoyable activities can also help activate the pleasure and reward centers in the brain. Treating ourselves to something enjoyable at times and being grateful can also help us live a more enjoyable life.

Laughter training also needs to be supported by a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise and quality sleep will help a person to be more relaxed in facing everything. Moreover, this healthy lifestyle also has important benefits for health so that it further supports physical and mental well-being.

So, have you laughed today?