Laughter feels good for the soul but does it have any real health benefits?
The American comedian and film star Groucho Marx certainly thought so when he quipped that “a clown is like an aspirin, except he works twice as fast.”
Was Groucho right? Certainly there’s a lot of interest in the medicinal effects of laughter – just type the phrase “health benefits of laughter” into Google and you’ll see half a million articles on the subject.
Most popular science and health articles online support Groucho’s cheeky suggestion that laughter is good for healing and good health.
Some of the claimed therapeutic benefits of laughter include the following:
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it relaxes the muscles
- it helps the immune system
- it reduces pain
- it reduces stress
- it helps promote a positive outlook
- it helps promote a feeling of well-being
- it has a positive effect on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, similar to exercise.
Academic research is more equivocal about these apparent benefits so it’s fair to say the evidence is encouraging but far from inconclusive.
What’s more, the question will probably never be answered – but hey, if it feels good and doesn’t do any harm then why not promote laughter?
That’s the philosophy of The Humour Foundation, an Australian charity that promotes laughter in hospitals by employing clown doctors – trained actors who help kids and adults see the funny side of life in hospital.
More than 50 Clown Doctors visit over 100,000 people a year across the country, using mime, magic and mayhem for serious ends – diverting children during procedures, calming them in emergency wards, and encouraging them in recovery program like physiotherapy.
Working together with health professionals, ‘clown rounds’ are done in all areas of hospitals, including burns wards, oncology, emergency, and intensive care.
The program was inspired by Dr Patch Adams, the work of Swiss-based Theodora Foundation and the Big Apple Clown Care Unit in New York.
Since its commencement in in the mid 90s The Humour Foundation has expanded Elder Clowns who aim to improve the quality of life of residents in aged care facilities.
For those that want to know what the research says about laughter as medicine, two US scholars – Mary Payne Bennett and Cecile Lengacher have published several extensive reports on the subject.
For everyone else, the Marx Brothers train station sketch is highly recommended if you have a sprained funny bone.
References available on request