Laughing ourselves to health

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Question: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Answer: Only one, but the lightbulb has got to really WANT to change.

In the treatment of chronic and ill understood disease, humor is usually hard to find. When it comes to acute health issues like sports- or traffic accidents where the main injuries are predominantly physical, swift medical action is indispensable and commonly no laughing matter. Yet in the case of chronic, incomprehensible health problems its healing value seems often overlooked. In this blogpost we’re going to discuss humor and what kind of physiological changes it can bring about which might prove beneficial in dealing with chronic, ill understood and often stress related health problems.

A punchline in a joke is when two separate frameworks of reference come into contact with each other and generate new meaning. In case of the above joke it’s the physical changing of the lightbulb and the general attitude of psychiatrists towards their patients. Since everyone has their own unique framework of reference, there’s always a chance it runs into another with a funny punchline as a result.

Now the quickest way to get into an open, relaxed mode is by a genuine, spontaneous belly laugh. No matter how grave we perceive a situation to be, when something unexpected causes a genuine belly laugh, our sorrows are forgotten for the moment. And the good part is that it can be evoked at any time, because something we perceive as funny can always occur.

It’s well-known that humor and genuine belly laughter can be beneficial for our health. On the psychological level belly laughter diminishes anything that’s being perceived as a threat. That allows us to relax, become playful and enjoy the moment because without a threat we can drop our guards.

On the physiological level relaxing most notably means a decrease in skeletal muscle tension and slowing down of heartrate and breathing rhythm. High muscle tension, heartrate and breathing rhythm are indispensable parts of our defense system, most notably for protecting us against acute threat. Yet they can become detrimental when health problems or diseases linger on for months or even years. Especially when the circumstances under which they were first detected become more and more blurry in our memory.

The longer health issues linger on, the more they have the tendency of becoming a ‘normal’ part of life. Yet specifically when we’re dealing with chronic health problems of which the source or onset is unknown, the not knowing how it emerged or why it still progresses will most likely keep us in a perpetual stress reaction. That means we’re being triggered into stress reactions without being aware of it, keeping our heartrate, breathing rhythm and skeletal muscle tension almost constantly on a much too high level, while recovery systems like our digestion and immunity begin to falter.

Immediately a vicious circle of decline becomes obvious. Continuous worrying about our condition is perceived by the brain as a threat. Subsequently it fires up our defense system by means of the stress reaction. If that goes on all day, our defenses use up way too much energy with the result of them becoming overworked. While on the other side of the spectrum our digestive system has a more and more difficult time refilling our internal fuel tank, and our immune system increasingly finds it hard to protect us from threats like bacteria, viruses and what not. And since our traditional healthcare system often seems to fall short in dealing with chronic health issues that fall outside the textbooks, it becomes clear that we need original and creative ideas in dealing with them. But those can only emerge when we’re in a playful mood.

One typical characteristic of a playful mood is that we don’t feel threatened. Our defense system then needs much less energy because no threat is being perceived. That energy becomes available for our recovery systems, with which they can start up their main task of helping us recover. So a playful mood harbors the possibility of breaking the vicious cycle of decline, both psychologically as well as physiologically. A funny occurrence followed by a genuine belly laugh are known to be the fastest way of getting in that mood.

Unfortunately often humor and laughter seem taboo in matters such as sickness or death because they are supposed to fall almost exclusively in the realm of ‘serious’ matters. According to the comedy actor John Cleese,[1] this attitude stems from a basic misunderstanding of the difference between serious and solemn. He states that a group of people could be discussing extremely serious matters, like chronic health problems, and they could be laughing but without making the topic of debate one bit less serious. For example, the memorial service for his Monty Python colleague Graham Chapman had a lot of humor.[2] Somehow it made the service both inspiring and cathartic.

Yet Cleese states that solemnity only serves pomposity. He seems to have a point, because humor also has a humbling effect in the sense that it makes us realize not everything can be controlled by sheer willpower and effort. Genuine belly laughter is therefore also a form of letting go. All of a sudden the weight of the obligation to endlessly control everything falls away. Both in body as well as mind space becomes available: skeletal muscles relax making way for blood and information to flow through blood vessels and nerves respectively, and anxious thoughts make room for creative ideas to emerge, providing the possibility of a change in perception. When that happens, we’ve made our first steps on the path of acceptance, which usually goeswith a firm increase in relaxation and recovery power.

However, as soon as any topic has been deemed inappropriate for respectable ridicule, that means we have buried ourselves in a trench. In this closed mode no creativity is possible since we are merely defending our opinions tooth and nail, and spontaneity has left the building along with Elvis.

A belly laugh by contrast always arises spontaneous. Even when watching a familiar funny sketch for instance, the actual laugh is still a spontaneous happening. However, not every kind of laughter gets us in an open, relaxed mode. So called nervous – or ‘throaty’ – laughter is evoked from an expression of alarm, embarrassment, discomfort or confusion, rather than amusement. Often it is a physical reaction as a result of too much stress. For example, we are attending a meeting and all of a sudden break wind. Laughing will then probably happen as a means to conceal embarrassment.[3]

The difference between a genuine belly laugh and a nervous throaty laugh is that the former is a spontaneous outbreak of joy (or understanding) while the latter is always a result of our conscious efforts trying to conceal something. That’s why a genuine belly laugh produces feelings of relaxation and relief, while the throaty laugh by contrast enhances tension. The former holds healing power when dealing with chronic ‘vague’ health problems, the latter doesn’t.

Naturally it’s impossible to laugh spontaneous on command. Moreover, if we are between a rock and a hard place, it’s often difficult to see the lighter side of life. Yet the more solemn and diligent we put effort into ‘improving ourselves,’ or ‘getting better,’ the harder it tends to become. Therefore using humor as a means to break the vicious circle might prove not only effective, but also palliating because we treat ourselves a little kinder.

As anyone who has ever laughed at the sight of seeing someone doubled with laughter while fist pounding one’s thigh for good measure can attest, laughing is contagious. Even when it’s produced by loudspeakers when watching videos with people laughing. Seeing and hearing people laugh almost always produces laughter by the one watching and listening. Based on this principle, sitcoms filmed without a studio audience have been using laughing tracks already since halfway the 20th Century. Furthermore, everyone has humorous points of reference in the past. Among these can be funny movies, series, videos, sketches, or standup comedy heroes. Look them up and see if they’re still as funny as when you last saw them.

So if you’re up for it, grant yourself an evening of unabashed laughter. Be silly, act silly and binge watch your favorite comedies, standups and sitcoms; anything that makes you laugh is allowed. One of my all-time favorite movies that still produces loud and spontaneous belly laughs is Police Academy I. It’s really about nothing and that's exactly the intention.[4] The scene where Commander Lassard has to provide a slide presentation with live commentary remains undeniably funny.

Another dimension is added when we’re laughing together with others. So when circumstances permit, getting in touch with a few close people for a jolly time is highly recommended. Be silly and make fun of ourselves, each other or any topic that comes up. Investigate how far it can be ridiculed, because respectable ridicule holds the potential or being cathartic.

One detail is important to remember though: To ensure that humor really contributes to our recovery we need to engage exclusively with people we feel completely at ease with. That no matter what’s being said or done, it’s all good – even when we’re being silly about our health problems. Because as soon as someone makes us feel defensive, whether unintentional or intentional, immediately the guards take back their position and we’re back in energy-leaking stress-reaction land.

It goes without saying that the best humor emerges spontaneously. We can’t plan being spontaneous as much as we can’t plan humor to turn up at the flick of a switch. But we definitely can create an environment in which humor and belly laughter are likely to emerge. Especially when we’re feeling down and out, that might be just what a holistic doctor orders.

To sum up: Laughter certainly doesn’t pretend to be a cure (or panacea) for chronic and/or incomprehensible health problems. But it can make a welcome contribution to lighten our spirits – with aforementioned recovering physiological effects – and allow a multi sided, creative view to arise in regard to finding a satisfying solution.

Jolly greetings,
Erik Stout

Further reading on the various health benefits of genuine belly laughter:
* 15+ Health Benefits of Laughter (healthian.com)
* Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins (book)

Featured image: OurWhiskeyFoundation

[1] John Cleese is famous for his work with the groundbreaking surreal, absurdist comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus, as well as playing Basil Fawlty in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers.

[2] Since Graham Chapman was supposedly the first man ever on British television to have said the word “shit,” it would have pleased him to know that Cleese was probably the first man to have said the word “fuck” during a memorial service (Chapman’s service, that is).

[3] An interesting characteristic of natural phenomena like breaking wind, burping and hiccups, is that they occur spontaneously. Our trying to repress these provides an interesting insight in our general attitude towards nature.

[4] Which in that sense actually makes it a very Zen movie.