No joke! Laughter may be the best medicine after all
By Samuel Greengard
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Heart disease is no laughing matter. Every year, nearly 1 million Americans die from some form of cardiovascular disease and about 62 million Americans suffer from a heart-related condition such as coronary heart disease or high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. However, if researchers have their way, many of these individuals will soon have the last laugh.
In March, Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventative Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, reported that laughter pumps up heart health. "We are learning that there is a lot closer heart-mind-body link than previously understood," he says. "Researchers have scrutinized negative stressors on the heart — depression, hostility and bereavement, for example — but haven't looked as closely at positive influences."
That's changing. Miller, who examined 20 healthy volunteers, looked at how blood vessels react when participants watched movie clips that were either humorous (such as "King Pin") or stressful (such as the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan"). He found that blood flow increased by an average of 22 percent in 19 of the 20 participants when they laughed, and decreased by 35 percent in 14 of the 20 participants when they tensed up. A previous study Miller conducted in 2000 found that those with heart disease are less likely to find everyday situations funny — such as someone spilling a drink on them at a restaurant.
Laughter, the best medicine
Miller's prescription? "Pop a funny movie into the DVD player, go to a comedy club, get together with a group of people or engage in some other activity that makes you laugh," he says. "It can be inexpensive and remarkably simple to do." Unfortunately, in today's frenetic society, where enjoyable activities often take a back seat to work and getting the kids to soccer practice, it's easier said than done. Yet, "even if it's less than 15 minutes a day, laughter has a positive affect on the body," Miller says.
In fact, a daily dose of The Three Stooges or the newspaper comic section can help the heart as well as the entire body. In the 1990s, Lee Berk, an associate research professor for pathology and human anatomy at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Loma Linda, Calif., conducted several studies that showed laughter improves the body's immune system by reducing adrenaline, a hormone that boosts the heart rate. Although adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) is crucial in certain situations, chronically high levels can wreak havoc with internal organs, including the heart.
What's more, "Laughter increases the production of natural ‘killer cells' that go after virally infected cells and tumor cells," Berk says. "The reality is that when you remove distress and introduce eustress — laughter, medication, prayer, music and other enjoyable activities — our biology undergoes fundamental changes. We have an apothecary sitting on our shoulders that allows us to do the same thing that many pharmaceutical drugs do without the expense and side effects."
Rx: A good belly laugh
Unfortunately, modern medicine has focused almost exclusively on "treatment" instead of "prevention," Berk says. A few individuals, such as former Saturday Review magazine editor Norman Cousins, realized as early as the 1960s that laughter truly is the best medicine. When he found himself afflicted with debilitating arthritic condition that causes severe pain, he began watching a steady dose of funny movies. He made a dramatic recovery and chronicled the experience in his 1979 best-selling book, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing and Regeneration.
Both Miller and Berk say that laughter is not a substitute for moderate exercise, good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle. However, it is increasingly clear that those who want a healthy heart should march to the beat of laughter. "It's an area of health care that has been generally overlooked," Miller says. "A good belly laugh should be a part of everyone's daily life."
