Whether it’s a giggle with your friends, watching a comedy show or getting a big belly laugh from something you find completely ridiculous, laughter has got to be the best medicine.

When was the last time your stomach hurt from your muscles contracting, or your eyes streamed until you couldn’t see? Didn’t it feel good?

Laughter is proven to increase our endorphins, which help us to relax and live in the moment as well as improve our mental and physical health. Yet even more importantly than that, it has the incredible ability to connect us. A shared human experience of laughter and laughing with others can make us feel good, help us to feel understood and accepted by others and enable us to make new friends or romantic partners.

The Museum of Happiness, is a social enterprise based in London, and they have made it their mission to help share their tools for happiness in the workplace, in schools and with individuals offering over 500 workshops, festivals and events to help spread the word. These include mindfulness and laughter yoga. Since the Covid 19 lockdowns, they have launched online and note the importance of happiness and laughter in our daily lives. They say:

“Happiness is more than just feeling good. When we flourish, we’re positively engaged with ourselves, our work, the world, and others. A sense of well-being influences our health and resilience, and broadens how we think, feel, act, and connect.”

They have noted how this need for happiness and joy in life is even more important since the pandemic, with figures showing an increase in mental illness

–        Almost one in five adults of all ages experienced some form of depression in June 2020, up from one in ten before the pandemic

–        For those aged 16 – 39, almost one in three experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms, up from one in nine

–        The rise in key workers experiencing some form of depression has risen from about one in 20 to over one in six. For non-key workers, the percentage has risen from about one in thirteen to one in five

The way they talk about happiness, in terms of a product that must be maintained to be lasting, is extremely effective and poignant,

“Our need for sustainable happiness has never been greater.”

The Museum for Happiness is one of Facebook’s Top 100 Community Organisations in the World and have been awarded an East London Innovator Award, a World Peace Award, a Young Sacred Activists Award, and were The Independent’s 2017 Happy List winner.

Healthguide.org note that laughter has physical, mental and social benefits. They say that we should be aware of the overall health benefits such as:

–        Laughter relaxes the whole body.

–        Laughter boosts the immune system.

–        Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.

–        Laughter protects the heart, because it improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

–        Laughter burns calories. Okay, so it’s no replacement for going to the gym, but one study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories—which could be enough to lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.

–        Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations, without holding onto bitterness or resentment.

–        Laughter may even help you to live longer. A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humour outlived those who don’t laugh as much. The difference was particularly notable for those battling cancer.

They also suggest ways that we can bring more laughter into our lives:

–        Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter, and like laughter, it’s contagious. When you look at someone, or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling. Instead of looking down at your phone, look up and smile at people you pass in the street, the person serving you a morning coffee or the co-workers you share an elevator with. Notice the effect on others.

–        Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the positive aspects of your life will distance you from negative thoughts that block humour and laughter. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to reach humour and laughter.

–        When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humour and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humour you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?”

–        Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humour in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious. Even if you don’t consider yourself a light hearted, humorous person, you can still seek out people who like to laugh and make others laugh. Every comedian appreciates an audience.

–        Bring humour into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?”

Or you can simulate situations to find your funny. A Georgia State University study found that incorporating bouts of simulated laughter into an exercise program helped improve older adults’ mental health as well as their aerobic endurance. Plus, hearing others laugh, even for no apparent reason, can often trigger genuine laughter.

Science has proven that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter.

In February 2017, Life Seeker hosted the Laughter Workshops, an insight into laughter yoga with the Laughter Yoga University. Laughter Yoga is a unique exercise routine which combines unconditional laughter with yoga breathing.  Laughter is initially stimulated as a physical exercise while maintaining eye contact with others in the group and promoting childlike playfulness. In most cases, this leads to real contagious laughter.

Laughter Yoga is a powerful cardio workout and just 10 minutes of hearty laughter is equal to 30 minutes on the rowing machine (in terms of increasing blood circulation and relaxing the muscles).

The Laughter Yoga University states that laughter yoga can be beneficial for health benefits, to improve your mood and your personal life, your work life (it increases oxygen to your brain) your social life and the ability to face challenges.

So, wherever you get your giggles from, be sure to make the most of those joyful moments. They really are good for our health and wellbeing and bring us together in a time when we need it most.

Find out more about the multiple benefits of laughter on your life. The museum of happiness holds regular events and have recently launched their Happy World Club which offers facilities and events for a monthly fee of £10. There are laughter clubs across the UK – find out more here.