Maybe Laughter Really Is
The Best Medicine, And It’s Prophylactic!
SAN FRANCISCO (April 3, 2006) – There’s no doubt that
laughter feels good, but is there real neurophysiology behind it and what
can you do about it?
In a paper being presented in an American
Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology 2006, Lee S. Berk
of Loma Linda University, reports that not only is there real science and
psychophysiology, but just the anticipation of the “mirthful laughter”
involved in watching your favorite funny movie has some very surprising and
significant neuroendocrine/hormone effects.
According to Berk: “The blood drawn from experimental
subjects just before they watched the video had 27% more beta-endorphins and
87% more human growth hormone, compared to blood from the control group,
which didn’t anticipate the watching of a humorous video. Between blood
pulls, the control group stayed in a waiting room and could choose from a
wide variety of magazines,” he explained.
*Paper presentation: “Beta-Endorphin and HGH
increase are associated with both the anticipation and experience of
mirthful laughter,” 12:30 p.m.- 3 p.m. Sunday April 2, APS Behavioral
neuroscience & drug abuse Section abstract 233.18/board #C706. Research
was by Lee S. Berk, Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of
Public Health and Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Loma Linda
University; Stanley A. Tan, Oakcrest Health Research Institute, Yucaipa; and
James Westengard, Dept. of Pathology, School of Medicine; Berk is associated
with all three institutions.
HGH, endorphin difference is long-lasting; setting
the baseline and environment is key
Berk said that the strong difference between the two
groups in terms of human growth hormone (HGH) and beta-endorphin blood
levels was maintained from just prior to the beginning of video watching,
throughout the hour of viewing and afterwards, also.
“We believe the results suggest that the anticipation
of a humor/laughter eustress (positive stress) event initiates changes in
neuroendocrine response prior to the onset of the event itself,” Berk said.
“From our prior studies, this modulation appears to be concomitant with mood
state changes, and taken together, these would appear to carry important,
positive implications for wellness, disease-prevention and most certainly
stress-reduction,” he noted.
In the current experiment, Berk and his colleagues
studied 16 healthy and fasting males, who hadn’t exercised for at least a
day and were not taking supplement medications. The test subjects had chosen
a favorite video. Three days before the experiment, all the subjects were
told which group they were randomly selected to be in, experimental (video
watching) or control (no video watching). All subjects had blood drawn just
before the video watching experiment began (baseline), four times during the
hour-long experiment, and three times afterward.
“One of the keys in this
kind of experiment is to set the baseline and control environment
carefully,” Berk said. “In this case, the control group basically sits in a
‘neutral’ room waiting to have their blood drawn, and on the tables there is
a wide variety of magazines that they can browse, because you don’t want to
bias what they do or watch. Time and behavior have proved me right with this
approach,” he added.
Earlier experiments showed stress reduction
Berk said the results of this “anticipatory mirthful
laughter experience, which is a kind of eustress or ‘positive/good stress’
event, builds on our earlier work and may constitute a real construct for
what is the ‘biology of hope.’” Earlier experiments showed that viewing a
favorite funny video can offset symptoms of chronic stress, which can
suppress various components of the immune responses, particularly those
related to anti-viral and anti-tumor defenses. In addition, there appears to
be a rebalancing of the Th1/Th2 immune response which suggestively could
lead to reduction of autoimmune issues.
“Mirthful laughter diminishes the secretion of cortisol
and epinephrine, while enhancing immune reactivity. In addition, mirthful
laughter boosts secretion of growth hormone, an enhancer of these same key
immune responses. The physiological effects of a single one-hour session
viewing a humorous video has appeared to last up to 12 to 24 hours in some
individuals,” Berk noted, “ while other studies of daily 30-minute exposure
produces profound and long-lasting changes in these measures.
Next steps to seek physiological linkage mechanisms
In addition, Berk noted: “An area we will pursue is the
modulation and change in Th1 and Th2 cytokine and inflammatory immune
responses to the anticipation and experience of the positive mood state
changes associated with mirthful laughter.”
Future research in this area with more subjects “needs
to elaborate these findings in psychoneuroimmunology understanding and the
mechanism linkage modulation between anticipatory positive behaviors and
neuroendocrine and immune responses,” Berk said. “It may sound corny but we
in the health care medical sciences need to ‘get serious about happiness’
and the lifestyle that produces it, relative to mind, body and spirit and
its biotranslation,” he added.
“Why do you think Reader’s Digest has claimed
that ‘Laughter is the Best Medicine’ for so many years?” Berk concludes.
* * *
The
American Physiological Society was founded in 1887 to foster basic and
applied bioscience. The Bethesda, Maryland-based society has more than
10,000 members and publishes 14 peer-reviewed journals containing almost
4,000 articles annually.
APS
provides a wide range of research, educational and career support and
programming to further the contributions of physiology to understanding the
mechanisms of diseased and healthy states. In May 2004, APS received
the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science,
Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).
# # #
Editor’s Note: For
further information or to schedule an interview with a member of
the research team, please contact Donna Krupa at the APS newsroom @
415.905.1024 (March 31-April 5); or (703) 967-2751 (cell) or (301) 634-7209
(office),
dkrupa@the-aps.org; or Christine Guilfoy at 978.290.2400 (cell) or
301.634.7253 (office).
A searchable
online program for EB is at
http://www.faseb.org/meetings/eb2006/call/default.htm
Experimental Biology is an annual
scientific meeting convened by the Federation of American Societies of
Experimental Biology, including the American Physiological Society (APS)
and other biomedical societies. The meeting features “nominated” lectures,
symposia, research presentations, awards, a job placement center, and an
exhibit of scientific equipment, supplies, and publications. This year’s
participating Societies are APS, American Association of
Anatomists, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
American Society for Investigative Pathology, American Society for
Nutritional Sciences, and the American Society for Pharmacology and
Experimental Therapeutics.
