Laughter Health & Science

Above - Laughter Meditation at Keith's Laughter Workshop for Change Camp, Gosforth High School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2009

Health Research from Leeds University

Laughing helps to get the blood flowing round the body. Laughter eases hospital pain. A good old belly laugh can help heal leg ulcers, experts say.

Lead researcher Professor Andrea Nelson said: "The key to care with this group of patients is to stimulate blood flow back up the legs to the heart. The best way to do that is with compression bandages and support stocking coupled with advice on diet and exercise.

"Believe it or not, having a really hearty chuckle can help too. This is because laughing gets the diaphragm moving and this plays a vital part in moving blood around the body."

Scientific Research

Dr William F Fry, Stanford University, proved that mirthful laughter provides good physical exercise and can decrease your chances of respiratory infections. He showed that laughter causes our body to produce endorphins (natural painkillers).

Dr Lee Berk, Loma Linda University medical Centre, and his colleagues were the first to establish that laughter helps optimize the hormones in the endocrine system, including decreasing the levels of cortisol and epinephrine. That laughter has a positive effect on the immune system and enhances your mood, decreases stress hormones, lowers bad cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, and raises good cholesterol (HDL).