Study: Laughter Gives Many of the Same Benefits as a Workout

A study by Dr. Lee Berk, a preventive care specialist and researcher at Loma Linda University, recently announced his findings that laughter gives many of the same benefits as a moderate workout. The study looked at the release of hormones, cortisol and catecholamines, and other health benefits of "mirthful laughter". This article will examine what the study found, what if any benefits laughter has, and if laughing can replace your daily workout.

What did the study consist of?

The study consisted of 14 health individuals viewing a 20-minute video that was humorous, and then a week later viewing a different video that was distressing. Dr. Lee and his team measured leptin and ghrelin levels 1 week before the study to get a baseline, and then measured them again post video viewing.

What did Dr. Lee Berk's study find?

To summarize, Dr. Lee Berk's study found that "mirthful laughter" (laughercise as he calls it), decreases stress hormones (cortisol & catecholamines), enhances immune activity, and lowers cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. The study also found that laughercise increased appetite for the elderly and the sick that have had previous trouble eating.

Laughter improves appetite

The study found that laughter plays a vital role in improving appetite, which makes for an easy solution for those of us who have trouble eating. However, he concluded that laughter may have increased appetite in the study, but repetitive laughter will have the same effect on the body as repetitive workouts. This means that although appetite may have increased in the study, it does not mean that it would over an extended period.

Can laughter replace your daily workout?

We are all dying to know if we can watch a funny video for 20-minutes per day, instead of, dong cardio for 20-minutes at the gym. To sum up the findings, laughter, although beneficial, does not replace that of a moderate workout. The study found that "mirthful laughter" decreased stress and provided many positive health benefits, but did not conclude that this kind of laughter builds or strengthens muscles the same way a regular workout would. Going to the gym and either doing cardio or strength training provides different benefits than laughercise does, such as building muscle mass and reducing your fat index. Moderate daily exercise cannot be replaced with laughercise, but laughercise, based on the conclusion of Dr Berk's findings, is an easy way to decrease dangerous stress levels and reduce cholesterol. The stress hormone reduction from "mirthful laughing" could just be what some of us need to de-stress after a hard days worth of work.

Sources:

http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/24/1_MeetingAbstracts/996.1