Everyone knows that good laughter is good for health! The problem is that, with the pressures we face daily due to excessive responsibilities, combined with conflicts in professional and family relationships (especially when dealing with that difficult person!), our sense of humor gets locked away.
In the last two posts published on our Blog, we talked about the importance of spirituality for health, well-being, and happiness. But what does spirituality have to do with laughter (good humor)? Both are tools currently proposed by complementary medicine to improve quality of life and ease the treatment of patients suffering from various illnesses, such as cancer, stress, and depression, favoring the integration of body-mind-spirit (1, 2, 3).
To understand the benefits of this duo – of course, for everyone, not just the sick – we will refer to a term introduced in 1975 by Robert Ader (4): Psychoneuroimmunology - which studies the interactions between behavior and the Nervous, Endocrine, and Immune Systems. In general, we can summarize it as follows:
When some event takes us out of our state of balance – whether it's the news of a loved one's passing or a demand from our boss – an avalanche of emotions occurs that leads to the mobilization of neurotransmitters (signaling molecules in the body), and momentarily our brain, especially a part of it called the hypothalamus, perceives that “we are in danger.” At this moment, numerous brain processes come into action, sending information to the Immune System, which promptly circulates a greater amount of neuropeptides and defense cells, and to the Endocrine System, which in turn also increases the production of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, both produced by the adrenal glands and known as stress hormones (3).
The fact is that, with the pace of life we lead, the production of these hormones in our body remains consistently high (and here we mention only two, but there are several involved), causing immense harm to our health. Probably everyone has heard about the long-term harms of stress!
When we engage in spiritual practices such as meditation, or when we are in a state of joy and good humor that leads us to a good laugh, our brain then understands that we are not under threat or danger. And all this excessive production of stress hormones is reduced – positively reflecting on our health (better immunity, vitality, cardiovascular function, etc.) (5, 6).
Moreover, when we laugh, our brain increases the production of substances that give us a sense of pleasure, such as enkephalins and endorphins (6).
Below we present a figure that we illustrated to facilitate the visualization of everything you just read (it is worth noting that the figure, like the explanation, is just a summary of the complex changes that occur in our body):
Thus: we have no shortage of reasons to pray and laugh!
The book released in 2002 titled “The link between Religion and Health: Psychoneuroimmunology and the Faith Factor,” by researchers Harold G. Koening and Harvey Jay Cohen, who are references on the topic, provides a clear explanation of the benefits of spirituality for health and well-being (4, 7). Anyone interested in this field of study should definitely check it out.
Vânia Hercilia Talarico Bruno is a Pharmaceutical-Biochemist, with a focus on Food and Nutrition from UNESP and a postgraduate degree in Industrial Administration from Fundação Vanzolini - USP. She is a massage therapist trained at Escola Amor (Association of Oriental Massage) and mother of Gabriel (3) and Guilherme (1.8). Currently, she dedicates herself to motherhood, studying philosophical topics, and providing services in Scientific Consulting.
Contact: vaniatal@yahoo.com.br
(1)TANYI RA, BERK LS, LEE JW, BOYD K, ARECHIGA A. The effects of a psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) based lifestyle intervention in modifying the progression of depression in clinically depressed adults. Int J Psychiatry Med. 2011; 42 (2):151-66;
(2)CUTSHALL S, DERSCHEID D, MIERS AG, RUEGG S, SCHROEDER BJ, TUCKER S, WENTWORTH L. Knowledge, attitudes, and use of complementary and alternative therapies among clinical nurse specialists in an academic medical center .Clin Nurse Spec. 2010 May-Jun;24(3):125-31;
(3)LORENTZ MM. Stress and Psychoneuroimmunology Revisited: Using mind-body interventions to reduce stress. Alternative Journal of Nursing, 2006, 11, 1-11;
(4)BELTON HB. Book Review. Journal of the National Medical Association. 2002, 94 (10), 924-926;
(5)MCCAIN NL, GRAY DP, WALTER JM, ROBINS J. Implementing a comprehensive approach to the study of health dynamics using the psychoneuroimmunology paradigm. ANS Adv. Nurs Sci. 2005 Oct-Dec;28(4):320-32;
(6)HOSTETLER J. Humor, Spirituality, and Well-Being. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith. 2002, 54 (2), 108-113;
(7)Harold G Koening, Harvey Jay Cohen. “The link between Religion and Health: Psychoneuroimmunology and the Faith Factor”. New York. Oxford University Press, 2002. Link: http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0195143604#reader_0195143604;
