Study finds body's response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise
Monday, April 26, 2010 - 10:20
in Health & Medicine
Laughter is a highly complex process. Joyous or mirthful laughter is considered a positive stress (eustress) that involves complicated brain activities leading to a positive effect on health. Norman Cousins first suggested the idea that humor and the associated laughter can benefit a person's health in the 1970s. His ground-breaking work, as a layperson diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, documented his use of laughter in treating himself -with medical approval and oversight -into remission. He published his personal research results in the New England Journal of Medicine and is considered one of the original architects of mind-body medicine.