Monday, November 7, 2005

Laughing matters

Researchers are finding that laughter may, indeed, be the best medicine.

SANDRA VALDEZ GERDES

Tucson Citizen

Are you feeling stressed out? Laugh it off. Sick? Laugh.

Has life got you down? Laugh – for no reason at all. Just laugh.

Sure, people may think you've gone off the deep end (and perhaps they're right), but if so, it's better to go down laughing, right?

The fact is worldwide research has proved that laughter helps remove the negative effects of stress and helps to boost the immune system that is key to maintaining good health.

Unfortunately, most of us don't laugh enough. Think about it. When was the last time you laughed so hard your belly ached?

"Kids laugh several hundred times a day, but adults may not laugh even 20 times a day," said Jackie Gill, a certified laughter leader and president of the one-year-old Tucson Laughter Club The group is an affiliate of the World Laughter Tour, a professional grassroots movement that hosts world events to promote health and peace through laughter.

But many adults are chronically unhappy, and "laughter gives people the freedom not to focus on those things for a while."

Dr. Madan Kataria, pioneer of the laughter clubs movement across the world, reported one study by German psychologist Michael Titze found that "in the 1950s people used to laugh 18 minutes a day, but today we laugh not more than six minutes per day, despite huge rises in the standard of living."

It seems excessive seriousness has made our sense of humor sick. The things that made us laugh heartily 30 years ago no longer stimulate a smile, according to Kataria's Web site at www.laughterforlife.com.

Gill believes people need more laughter in their lives. With co-founders Jim Twomey and Leda Hankins Gill comes to the rescue each month with chuckles to spare as leader of the Tucson Laughter Club, where people get together each month to laugh for no reason.

Sound funny? It is.

During a recent meeting about 10 people stood in a circle and played out different laughing techniques that borrow deep-breathing movements from yoga. The various laughing styles are given easy to remember names such as lion, penguin and jackpot laughter. So, for example, Gill tells people to pretend they've hit a jackpot and to greet each other with an excited laugh or to walk like a penguin and laugh.

They move about the room for each 20-second exercise chanting "Ho-ho-ha-ha-ha!" at each other, making silly expressions and eye-contact.

Self-induced laughter stimulates real infectious laughter, and it was easy for first-timers such as Mario Raso or Marcia Droz to put aside inhibitions and enjoy the fun. Afterward participants felt energized, less tense, lighter and happier.

Raso, a local real estate broker and educator, attended because he heard laughter is healing for the body, mind and soul.

"Laughter helps us get in touch with our self," and "get back into joy, fun, delight and the essence of life. Life is too serious, full of fear, anger and violence, but laughter lets our life spark out to play," Raso said.

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