Benefits of Humor

I first became interested in the benefits of humor while studying some of the Medieval Spanish culture. But then I read about Norman Cousins who had a painful terminal connective tissue disease - ankylosing spondylitis. Dissatisfied with doctors who said they could do nothing more, he left the hospital, got a hotel room, a movie projector and some films of Candid Camera and the Marx Brothers. He found that watching humorous movies allowed him to get 4 hours of pain-free sleep, and he expanded and continued his self-treatment, until he actually cured himself. He published a book about his experience, and this prompted many different scientific studies, which confirmed the fact that humor benefits both physical and mental health.

I observed something similar in my friend, Tom Malone.

One day I saw Tom at work and he had what looked like a big bruise in the middle of his forehead. I asked him what happened, and he replied - well, I pissed my wife off, and she hit me with a rolling pin. His big smile revealed he was joking, but also hid the true seriousness of the situation. He then shared that he had a rare form of cancer, stage 4, terminal, that the Anderson Cancer Center in Texas had only seen one other case, and nobody with this cancer had ever lived longer than six months after being diagnosed.

I came up with an idea - to do an interview with Tom, and video it, to have something to give to his family after he had passed. We actually did two interviews, and I recorded those onto a DVD.

During the interviews I noted that Tom not only had a good sense of humor, exercising it frequently, but his overall attitude was positive. He made it clear right off he did not share my faith, but did not fear death, and was not going to get wrapped up in self pity or asking - why me?

In fact, he is one of the best examples of someone who lived by the often-quoted first part of the serenity prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Now again, Tom was never to say this, or any other prayer that I know of, but my point is that he applied these very principles very well in his life, and I could observe that.

But why do I share this story here? Because Tom, with his positive attitude and humor, went on to live 7 years more!!!

Please note that Tom's wife, Tammy, had given me permission to share this, and she agrees with me that his amazing positive attitude may have been the key. She notes that even on the day he died, he did not have negative thoughts!

Humor Benefits Identified by J. Adam Rindfleisch, from various studies:

Laughter increases heart and respiratory rates as well as oxygen consumption, moving into state of relaxation
Laughter increases heart stroke volume and cardiac output, and dilates blood vessels
After intense laughter muscle tone improves
Watching humorous videos revs up the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), without increasing blood pressure
Laughter lowers levels of the stress hormone, cortisol
Laughter activates the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system in the brain
Laughter increases serum immunoglobulins A and E
Laughter increases natural killer cell activity as well
Laughter raises levels of beta-endorphins (the feel-good chemicals of the body) and increases human growth hormone

Rindfleisch also lists the effects of humor on specific illnesses

There is an inverse association between coronary heart disease and propensity to laugh; laughing more means lower heart attack risk.
A 2018 study found that laughter therapy effectively delays cardiovascularcomplications of type 2 diabetes
Watching a comedy show decreased overall rise in glucose levels after eating
Higher propensity to laugh correlates with fewer episodes of arrhythmias and recurrent Mis during cardiac rehabilitation
Laughter increases pain tolerance
Laughter therapy improves self-esteem and mood in cancer patients, according to a small 2015 trial
Watching a funny movie decreased bronchial responsiveness in people with bronchial asthma
Laughter and clowning reduced hyperinflation of the lungs in people with severechronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Hospital clowns reduce stress and anxiety levels in hospitalized children and theirparents
Elder Clowns reduced agitation and increased happiness in nursing home patients
Humor therapy (watching a 20-minute humorous movie) led to improvements in cognitive function, including learning ability, delayed recall, and visual recognition in study that included 30 older adults
Comedy improv training led to subjective improvements in symptoms for people with Parkinsons disease
A study of 30 people with schizophrenia found that 10 hours of humor skill training canimprove rehabilitative outcomes and sense of humor (including change in negative symptoms)
Laughter decreased inflammation (as measured by pro-inflammatory cytokine levels)in people with rheumatoid arthritis
Laughter and humor reduce allergen-induced wheal (skin swelling) reactions

Additional More General Benefits Listed by Rindfleisch

Humor helps relieve tension, reassures people, and draws them together
It likely strengthens thebonds between patients and members of their care team
It even seems to increasepeoples willingness to disclose, so it may help with obtaining good information duringpatient interviews
A study of laughter therapys effects on volunteer community careworkers found that it reduced stress, anxiety, and depression

Ways That Humor Can Heal, from a summary of 18 sources at psychcentral.com

anxiety, stress, and depression respond positively to a good joke
Laughter counteracts stress hormones, increases endorphins, and helps you connect with other people
Laughter can help ease symptoms of depression and improve your social connections
Laughter can act as a natural pain reliever by increasing your tolerance to pain
Laughter has been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Stress can lead to inflammation
Improves the immune system
Releases endorphins which make you feel good
Reduces cortisol levls, which reduces stress
May help lower your chances of a heart attack or stroke
Humor can help you cope with difficult circumstances
Researchers connected humor to improved short-term memory and learning among older adults

From my second interview with Lou, he shares some thoughts about humor, and the story of how humor helped him save the life, by telephone, of a homeless vet 1500 miles away, ready to take his life after his guitar was stolen.

From my interview with Randy, he shares how he used humor to improve the spirits of a coworker feeling down, after other coworkers asked him to help. They came to Randy because he was known for his humor and laughter.

Also from my second interview with Lou, I felt a little bad - testing his awareness - after he had just shared a very serous story on how he saved the vet's life using humor.