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 daily dose of laughter can bring serious health benefits,
says Judith Kupersmith, MD, of Texas Tech Medical Center's neuropsychiatry
department.
 "Humor
is a high-level defense mechanism against anxiety," she
said. "Laughter often yields social acceptance, which diminishes
anxiety and bolsters our emotional health. When someone says
funny things, the listener feels relaxed and calm, but the person
using the humor also relaxes and feels less anxiety."
Humor also
is a form of relaxation or stress reduction, Kupersmith said.
She noted that "gallows humor" is one way to reduce
stress. "With gallows humor we relieve anxiety by saying
very base, crude but humorous things that we normally would not
say in public," she said.
An example
of gallows humor might be something we mutter to ourselves, not
wanting anyone to hear. "It might not even really be funny,"
she continued, "but it takes the edge off a stressful situation."
She pointed
out that everyone has different perceptions of what is funny.
What is humorous to some might be offensive or even strange to
others.
In addition
to anxiety, humor helps some people deal with aggression, Kupersmith
said. "When a person is feeling aggression, they can control
those feelings by saying something humorous, which is the opposite
of what they are feeling."
Kupersmith
said that stress can be a substantial threat to psychological
health, depending on the individual's ability to deal with stress.
"The most minor of situations can cause some people great
stress and anxiety, while others are very stoic and don't get
'stressed out.' I think in today's high-stress environment, we
are all looking for stress reduction and ways of coping."
She sees stress
as a particular problem among today's adolescents. "I think
adolescents today have it much harder than years ago, even with
the economic advantages they often have now," Kupersmith
said. "We look at them and see that they have cars, they
have clothes, they have money, so why are they stressed? We see
the problem in younger and younger children. Their childhood
is getting shorter and shorter."
Kupersmith
noted that one current area of research addresses the interaction
of the psychological, neurological and immunological systems.
"These
studies show that the more stress you have, the less ability
you have to fight infections," she said. "But by using
humor and monitoring laughter for a certain period of time, researchers
can compare blood counts in cancer patients, for instance, and
they are finding that the immune system is healthier in those
who laugh."
She noted
the following ways in which laughter can boost physiological
health:
- Enhances the cardiovascular system
- Improves circulation and oxygen exchange
- Stimulates the nervous system
- Increases endorphins, which help block pain
Kupersmith
believes that in today's high-stress environment, it is sometimes
easy to forget to laugh. "I think that's the reason certain
people in leadership positions do better than others," she
said. "They know how to lighten up and not be so serious
all the time." 
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