Laughing Your Way to Mental Health
May 4th, 2009 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Update
Laughter has long been prescribed as a potent medicine, particularly when other treatments fall short of curing the blues. But the old adage, while perpetuated through the generations, is rarely taken very seriously. Recently, a Canadian film director unveiled a piece of documentary work aimed at doing exactly that; exploring the possibilities, both socially and scientifically, of using laughter as medicine. Director Albert Nerenberg presents his film, entitled Laughology, at the Hot Docs film festival taking place this week in Toronto.
The director describes his interest as stemming from a fascination with his infant daughters spontaneous laughter. As babies tend to develop this particular skill around the same stage in development, and the phenomenon is present even in those children with disabilities such as blindness or deafness, Nerenberg decided to explore the brain’s impetus for laughter, as well as the realm of possibilities in terms of treatment. Describing himself and his partner as being depressed upon the birth of their daughter, Nerenberg was intrigued by the child’s propensity for glee despite her parents’ gloominess. Taking their daughter to a group-session laughter-yoga course helped to amplify the positive effects both parents felt from the phenomenon –as well as the good cheer of other class participants, who found it difficult not to join in.
Laughology digs deep into the possibilities of laughter, from exercise and entertainment to the strictly neurological, following the progress of mental health professionals as they artificially stimulate laughter through interacting directly with the brain. Citing that laughing can ease anxiety and create a sense of well-being, not to mention its clearly contagious properties, Nerenberg is well on his way to showing the therapy community that laughter is the best medicine; may not just be an old and tired cliche.
© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Long Beach Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
16 comments so far
I totally believe that laughter is good for the soul. Many times when I am stressed and someone tries to cheer me up..I end up laughing and sometime’s can’t stop. I love the how I feel after I have had a good laugh.
I love to laugh and it really helps me as well. Even if you have to revert back to something that made you laugh that was so funny, this would really be worth it.
I am a born laugher and have never one day of my life had any serious illnesses or sicknesses and this probably proves that many times laughter is indeed the best medicine. Of course I have had days where I have felt bad and maybe not quite myself but I just keep on going about my day, and eventually someone or something will get me laughing and it makes everything just melt away. I know this sounds simple but how will we ever know if this is a tried and true path to wellness if more people are not willing to give it a try?
I have to say I agree with Cecelia. I hardly ever get sick or have major worries and this may too be due to laughter. It seems to make the day so much better for me and so much more stress free and sometime I need to remember this when I have had a hard day at work.
Why do you think that most young kids are almost never depressed? They spend a great deal of time laughing and having fun with friends!
Great point Brooklyn. Kids seem not to have any worries at all, always having fun and it’s because they are always laughing. Which I know a lot has to do with being kids and they have no worries, but just watching them have fun and laughing about seems so stress free.
A good laugh can cure almost anything! :-)
I actually had a really good laugh Friday at work, and it was wonderful to finally stop being so serious for 10 minutes and let loose with some of my friends who I work with. I can’t remember how long it had been since I laughed that hard and actually felt good the rest of the day.
Aahhh.. the good medicine of laughter. I can vouch for what laughter can do and I think it’s a good idea to practice this everyday in our lives.
There are some who never can find a way to work a good laugh into their daily lives- what a shame that is! I agree with everyone else here that laughter is the best prescription for almost anything that goes bad!
It used to drive me insane that my mom could find a way to laugh off anything. But as I have gotten older I now realize the true value of being able to do just that.
You almost have to laugh at some of the things thrown at ya. I try to find some way to laugh at something (which even if it’s at myself after doing something dumb)
My mum used to tell me that keeping my baby laughing always would keep her immunity high. I dont know how far this is true. What is amazing is she is 10 years old now and is a very upbeat positive kid. Highly adaptable and definitely not the kind who falls sick often.
I heard a similar story recently, even just smiling can improve your mood. I think there is something named the ‘pen method’ or similar, you simply have to grip a pen between your teeth – this forces your face into a smile. You hold the pen there for 10 seconds and you feel better….and it works!!
A good laugh can cure almost anything! Congratulations!
I think we are reaching a new age where consciousness is expanding and people are finally realizing the power of their mind, and the effect it has on the body. Laughter and simply being happy in the current moment can go a long way toward mental and physical health. It’s a great time to be alive!