Laughter, it really may be good medicine!

I just read an interesting article in the paper yesterday about a new research project studying the health effects of laughter. The researchers discussed the fact that there have been quite a few studies done on the health effects of negative emotions including depression and other negative stressors. And there's plenty of research that shows negative emotions trigger all kinds of negative body reactions including releasing unwanted biochemicals into the body. So the researchers wondered what effects, if any, do positive emotions such as laughter have on the body and subsequent health.

So they took two subject groups and sent one group to watch a dramatic and very angsty movie while the other group got to watch a comedy. Testing which included drawing blood was performed on both groups prior to the movie and immediately after. Guess what they found? Yep, it appears all sorts of good things happened in the bodies of the folks watching the comedy while some not so good things were going on in the bodies of the angst movie watchers. It seems that the comedy watchers experienced lowered blood pressure and the release of endorphins as well as other beneficial biochemicals into their systems among other things. The researchers are cautiously optimistic though and said that their results warrant further testing.

Does this mean that hospitals should consider banning CNN and other hard news stations in patient rooms? Should the only news that hospital patients see be quasi-news programs hosted by Jon Stewart? Should the Cartoon Network and the Comedy channel be the only two stations piped into the hospital for patient viewing? I think this may be a good idea. What if recovery rates could be increased by watching Conan O'Brien or Bugs Bunny? It couldn't hurt, right?

This study made me think of my own health history as well as a couple of friends with some current health issues. I think back in time to over 18 years ago when I was in the hospital following a c-section. I had been in hard labor for about 15 hours which in the end resulted in an emergency c-section. It all turned out alright, but I was exhausted. Later that night, my husband and I were watching David Letterman to wind down from the trying day. It was during the relatively new Stupid Pet Tricks segment where both my husband and I were thrown into hysterical laughing fits. It was the silliest dog trick, which really requires a visual, that even threw Letterman and the studio audience into laughing fits. And the dog wouldn't stop which added to the hysterics! I laughed so hard that I started to cry...and then literally I was both crying and laughing because it felt like my stitches were splitting apart! But neither my husband or me could stop laughing. He even ran over to the hospital bed to help me hold and push the pillow laying over my stomach to keep my stitches from splitting. I finally had to beg to please turn off the tv and yet I laughed on...and cryed too because it really hurt! Anyway, I slept great that night. That laugh was just what I needed. And to top it off, my recovery progressed so well that I was released from the hospital a little more than two days early. In fact each time that I've been hospitalized, I've managed to be released early.Of course I haven't been in the hospital much,thankfully. But I've always been quick to heal, and I always assumed that it was because I hate hospitals and doctors so much. So now after reading this article I have to wonder, is the fact that I'm so quick with a smile and a laugh partially responsible for my excellent recuperative powers? I hope it has something to do with it...because that's something I have some control over.

So now back to those two friends. This whole idea that laughter may have some tangible positive health benefits gives me some hope. There really isn't much in a tangible way that I can do regarding the health of either one and that makes me feel a bit helpless.And like most people, I don't like to feel that way. Sure I can offer comfort and support, but I'm a Do-er and I'd like to do more. But if smiling and laughing have real health benefits, well this is something that I can help with. So Dr. Renee is gonna to do whatever she can to get them to smile and laugh. It couldn't hurt anyway, right? Oh well, I guess it could a little, but it will be worth it!