Almost everybody enjoys humour and likes a good laugh. We find humour relaxing, which reduces stress; therefore, most people tend to believe that humour is good for our general health.
But the scientific evidence that humour is beneficial to our general health is not very robust. This question is reviewed by Gil Greengros in the Psychologist recently and his paper is illuminating.
Norman Cousins (1915-1990) was a well-known US liberal political journalist and author. He developed a bad case of painful connective tissue disease plus ankylosing spondylitis with a very low probability (1/500) of recovery.
Cousins followed all conventional medical advice for the treatment of the disease but supplemented this with a novel treatment – he took large doses of vitamin C and indulged in self-induced bursts of laughter every day by watching comic films.
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He told his story in his 1979 book Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. Actor Ed Asner starred in a 1984 TV film based on this book. Cousin’s book launched a laughter/humour/therapy movement that is still with us today.
Norman Cousins recovered from his illness, but the account in his book is anecdotal, not a scientific study
In Anatomy of an Illness, Cousins claimed laughter had an analgesic effect on him: “I made the joyous discovery that 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anaesthetic effect that would give me at least two hours of painless sleep.”
Cousins recovered from his illness, but the account in his book is anecdotal, not a scientific study, and doesn’t prove that humour/laughter played a significant part in effecting his cure. His acute arthritic condition may have just subsided slowly and naturally.
Greengros points out that scientific studies of the relationship between humour and general health have been plagued by problems such as small sample size and confounding variables, with the result that few firm conclusions can be drawn.
There is some evidence that your mood can boost the immune system, eg watching funny films boosts immunity and reduces allergic reactions compared to non-humorous controls. But this effect is not exclusive to humour and can also be induced by listening to classical music or by sad feelings.
Some people claim the physical activity involved in hearty laughter is itself a powerful aerobic exercise, producing health benefits
Do professional comedians live longer or have better general health than other professionals? Studies have shown that comedians and comedy writers die younger than actors and other professionals who aren’t comic entertainers. But uncontrolled-for factors such as unhealthy lifestyle confound such studies.
Some people claim the physical activity involved in hearty laughter is itself a powerful aerobic exercise, producing health benefits. Claims have been made that several minutes of robust laughter is equivalent to the aerobic work of exercising 10-15 minutes on the rowing machine. However, careful studies have demonstrated that normal laughter is equivalent only to very light exercise, such as playing cards.
Indian doctor Modan Karice founded the first Yoga Laughter Club in 1995, where people come to laugh as much as possible, even in the absence of humorous stimulation, aiming to stimulate good health and induce happiness. Studies have failed to produce convincing evidence that this significantly promotes better physical/mental health
Possibly the best evidence for a therapeutic effect of humour on health is the capacity to reduce pain. Only genuine laughter is effective because only this emotional change releases the endorphins that relieve pain – deliberately exercising the muscular action of laughing alone doesn’t work.
There is strong evidence that humour benefits mental health by lowering stress. The ability to make other people laugh is a very attractive trait
This analgesic effect is temporary. Cousins’s laughter gave him two hours’ relief, although he said that, if he then had another genuine bout of laughter, he got further relief. It should also be noted that other forms of neural stimulation, such as relaxing music or listening to lectures, have the same effect.
So, evidence to date that humour promotes general health is weak. On the other hand, there is strong evidence that humour benefits mental health by lowering stress. The ability to make other people laugh is a very attractive trait and laughter generally is very enjoyable. Greengros sensibly advises that we should all enjoy humour and welcome it as one of the good things in life.
Let me finish with a little joke to cheer you up and, perhaps, give you a little physical boost also. What did the Tibetan monk say when he saw the face of Jesus in a tub of margarine? “I can’t believe it’s not Buddha”.
- William Reville is an emeritus professor of Biochemistry at UCC
