LOOKING FORWARD TO A LAUGH MAY BE

An old adage claims that “laughter is the best medicine.” When it occurs, it’s usually a pretty good indicator that a happy moment has happened. But, what about anticipated laughter? Would looking forward to some happy times in the future produce an equally beneficial effect on a person today?

That’s what researchers at the University of California, Irvine College of Medicine wanted to find out when they embarked on an anticipated laughter study. Their goal was to determine if they could detect positive changes in the body of a person who was anticipating the enjoyment of a future event.

Sixteen men at Loma Linda University volunteered for the experiment. The study involved the entire group sitting down and watching a funny video. Half of the group was informed 3 days in advance that this is what was going to occur. The rest of the group received no such advance information.

Researchers then tested the entire group to see if the movie had any effect on hormones in their body that affected stress. Interesting changes were noted in the group that had the advance information. Those men who watched the video had an average 39 percent decrease in cortisol, a 38 percent drop in dopac and a 70 percent reduction of epinephrine. These are all known to be hormones related to stress. At the same time, their endorphin level went up 27 percent and their growth hormone levels rose 87 percent. According to researchers, endorphins and growth hormones are known to reduce the effects of stress and have a beneficial effect on the immune system.

Interestingly, none of these positive changes were experienced by the 8 men who were not told they would be watching a funny video.

This information raises some interesting possibilities for dealing with stress and helping people to stay healthy, according to Lee Berk, an assistant professor of family medicine at the Susan Samueli Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. “This study shows that even knowing you will be involved in a positive, humorous event days in advance reduces levels of stress hormones in the blood and increases levels of chemicals known to aid relaxation,” said Berk. This has profound implications for complementary treatment of disease and for maintaining a person’s wellness.”

Using this data, it makes good sense to plan a date in the future to do something enjoyable, rather than running out on the spur of the moment. A person can really get their full value out of an event by making a plan to do it, fully anticipating its arrival and then enjoying it in the moment. It seems that planning to have a good laugh is just about as valuable as the laughter itself.

Source: The University of California, Irvine. “Expecting a Laugh Boosts Stress-Busting Hormones.” Press Release. November 2002.

Start now! Get out those calendar books and start planning some fun times. Any ideas you can come up with are good ideas. List as many fun events as possible and schedule them in a way that looking forward to their arrival brings a better state of health and wellness into your life.

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig