Laughter Therapy is the best medicine.

In the 1960s a Stanford University psychiatrist, Dr. William F. Fry, studied the physiological effects of laughter and is now considered to be the founder of gelotology. “Gelos” is the Greek word for laughter, and gelotology is the science of laughter. Dr Fry, found that laughter could decrease the risks of respiratory infections and caused the body to produce natural painkillers called endorphins.

Research by Dr. Lee S. Berk at Loma Linda University Medical Center the 1980s discovered that humor reduced arrhythmias, blood pressure, and stress hormones. In that study, heart attack patients were divided into two groups: group A watched funny videos for a half-hour each day for a year, and group B received standard medical care. Fifty percent of those in the standard medical care group had recurrent heart attacks, while only twenty percent of those in the laughter group did.

You can read a more detailed history of Laughter Therapy here.

Laughter therapy is a universal non-pharmacologic approach to reduce stress and anxiety. It is a non-invasive, cost-effective, and easily implementable intervention that can be used as a supplementary therapy to reduce the mental health burden. Laughter can physiologically lessen the pro-stress factors and increase the mood-elevating anti-stress factors to reduce anxiety and depression.

In many mental health situations, laughter can assist in healing emotional and psychological problems. It can alleviate physical ailments and pains, and symptoms of some diseases. It may even help the elderly stay mentally sharp. In addition to helping patients release anxiety, laughter also helps them release anger, reduce boredom and get along better with other people.