Just the ticket to boost the Ticker and the $$$!

Haddo D’Audney reveals the shortest, sweetest, sublime space between people, which has the power to lift performance, save lives and mood.

Want to know about the most marvellous antidote to depression; the most incredible mood lifter; a faster way to mental health; or the quickest way to creativity and job performance?   If you do read on:  if you don’t you’re as sad as the US economy.  Incredibly the miracle remedy is available to us all--with the exception of the US economy.  The tonic is laughter—long thought after ‘mum’s kisses’ to be the best medicine. Research is beginning to highlight that if you can laugh you can be healthier, live longer and wrinkle less. 

The author has long known that businesses where people not only enjoy the work but each other, form the best and most productive teams in history. Organisations that begin their work-day with humour or positive exercises or even meetings with warm-ups are amongst those that have changed the world with their creative problem solving—just think Amazon.co and here at home the 42 Below Vodka Co.  Teams that can joss with each other or leg-pull or play around things are not only doing what comes naturally but they can build amazing cultures.  Humans are hot wired for play, and lateral thought: there is even a brain area called the Parietal Lobule where incongruence is processed. Positive energy correlates with better conflict resolution and negotiation outcomes, let alone improving relationships- how many people laugh their way to divorce counts.

 Laughter synchronises the brains of team members or speakers and their audiences resulting in emotional attunement. As a result some psychologists believe that the major role of laughter is to help bring people together for their joint survival; other side-effects emerge that put us on a loop (but not too loopy) of benefit.

Laughter acts on the inner lining of blood vessels called the endothelium, causing vessels to relax and expand. One study of twenty healthy people provoking laughter did as much good for their arteries as aerobic activity- and no blisters!  Researcher at the American College of Cardiology Michael Miller advises we laugh and exercise regularly.  Fifteen minutes of laughter daily and thirty minutes of exercise three times a week should do it, he says.  The endothelium regulates blood flow and adjusts the propensity of blood to coagulate and clot.  In addition it secretes assorted chemicals in response to wounds, infection or irritation. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

Laughter is already a healing activity-- the film Patch Adams highlighted the use of laughter in hospital wards world- wide including New Zealand. Many will have heard of mortally ill journalist Norman Cousins, who lengthened his life with doses of comedic films.   One specialist suggests that for every minute of laughter you produce ten thousand dollars of useful chemicals that if you had to buy them elsewhere would cost you—guess how much?   However for you they are free and they are life saving let alone life transforming. (Where else can you get a free high.)

Laughter produces serotonin (known as the Zen of neurochemicals whose uptake is inhibited by the famous Prozac tablet).  Happy, relaxed, chilled out feelings result.  When you chuckle your heartbeat and blood pressure are raised for

a time, without activating your metabolism and producing the free radicals that can zap your life energy: a good training session without the side effects, a micro-marathon without the chaffing! 

Laughing also oxygenates your organs as it moves lymph fluid around your body--basically through the paroxysms you experience. It thus boosts the immune system and acts like a hose flushing out waste products from the system. It also improves brain function of course; oxygen in = ideas out. This is where you get exercise benefits–who hasn’t experienced the sore ribs of uncontrolled, robust and raucous uninhibited laughing?   One good reason to laugh is that in exercising your facial muscles you can reduce wrinkles. Good for the tummy muscles too and of course no wrinkles there either (yeah right).

Depression and chronic stress are reduced: researchers have found that mental state can greatly influence your immune system and susceptibility to illness (the science is called psychoneuroimmunology). Laughter is really a type of hyperventilation event as you take in gulps of that marvelous life giving oxygen soup. Oxygenation can aid resistance to cancer cells and other parasitical challenges and bacteria by the way.

Here’s one way to get laughter without substance abuse. Laughter yoga is a world wide movement that has benefited millions with a formalised method of unconditional laughter without jokes, gags, stories or prat–falls (there are over 6000 members of social laughter clubs in over 60  countries at the time of writing).  Hilarity is stimulated in a group with body exercise that deteriorates into infectious laughter. 

Studies in India and the USA show that three weeks of laughter yoga can greatly improve performance at work and reduce stress and lift resilience. (It can also improve lip movement- your upper lip is not so ‘stiff’ anymore.) Other research has shown that folk engaging in laughter yoga gained reduced frequency of respiratory infections such as the common cold or flue. We’ve known for some time that singing in a group can lift mood, increase life span and reduce the likelihood of depressive episodes—similar outcomes appear to come from laughter sessions: plus with the added benefit that you don’t have to know the words of a song.

Laughter then is not only the best medicine for organisations but for organisational members.  Laugh your way to performance and the dollars. A giggle a day keeps the doctor away.

 Humour purges the blood, making the body young, lively and fit for any manner of employment.

-ROBERT BURTON

 Humour is by far the most significant activity of the human brain”

-EDWARD De BONO

REFERENCES

Cousins, N. (1983). Anatomy of an Illness. Bantam Doubleday Dell. USA

Adams. H. D (Patch). Cited in Maylander. M. (1993). Gesundheit: bringing good health to you, the medical system and  society through physician service, complementary therapies, humour and joy. Healing Arts Press. USA. See also the movie ‘Patch Adams’ starring Robin Williams; directed by Tom Shadyac. www.patchadams.org.

Miller. M. (2005). Cited in Reuters report ‘Laughter may really be the best medicine.’ New Zealand Herald. 0903. Pg 13.

Axt-Gadermann,P; & M. (2005). The joy of laziness. How to slow down and live longer. Frankfurt University.