We’ve all enjoyed a good laugh, however, did you know that it actually improves your health? The healing power of humor is something every caregiver should employ to ensure the best care for their care recipients.
The Healing Power of Humor
15 Health Benefits of Laughter
Laughter sometimes really is the best medicine. Laughter can trigger healthy emotional and physical changes in the body. Having a good sense of humor can lighten your mental burdens and connect you to others. With such healing power, laughing is a great way to overcome your problems. And the best part is that it is free. Here are a few ways laughing can improve your health:
Physical Benefits
- Boosts your immune system
- Lowers stress hormones
- Decreases pain
- Relaxes your muscles
- Helps prevent heart disease
Mental Benefits
- Adds happiness to your day
- Eases anxiety
- Relieves stress
- Improves mood
- Strengthens resilience
Social Benefits
- Strengthens relationships
- Brings others to us
- Enhances teamwork
- Helps defuse conflict
- Promotes bonding in groups
4 Ways Humor Helps You Stay Mentally Healthy
Having a good sense of humor feels good, and a good laugh will stick with you even after the actual laughing starts. Humor helps you stay positive and optimistic through tough situations. More than just providing a break from sadness or pain, laughing gives you the strength to find new sources of meaning during difficult times. Also, laughter tends to be contagious. Just hearing someone chuckle primes your brain and makes you ready to smile. Here are a few ways laughing can improve your mental state:
- Laughter can stop people from feeling distressed
- Laughing can help you recharge
- A giggle can shift your perspective toward the positive
- Laughter can draw you closer to others
Humor Strengthens Relationships
Have you ever thought about why TV networks use laugh tracks in sitcoms? It’s because laughter is contagious. You’re more likely to laugh around other people than when you are alone. And the more humor you cultivate, the happier you and the people around you will be. And it’s this social aspect of humor that plays into relationship building. Learning someone’s sense of humor takes time and is usually appreciated by the other party. When you laugh with someone, it also diminishes stress responses like fight, flight, or freeze. This is one reason humor is a common coping mechanism for stress.
Humor and being playful helps strengthen communication. It also triggers positive feelings which aid in fostering emotional connections with other people. Humor in social relationships helps you to:
- Be more spontaneous
- Diminish defenses
- Release inhibitions
- Express feelings
How to Harness the Healing Power of Humor
Now, you might be thinking about ways to incorporate humor for the purposes of caregiving. Here are a few ways you can use it to help others heal:
- Smile often
- When you hear laughter, move towards it
- Spend more time with playful people
- Use your own humor in conversations with others
- Create opportunities to laugh by sharing funny videos, movies, comics…
Now that you know how much power laughter and humor can wield, give it a try with your care recipients today!
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Confident Living is a continuing care at home membership program, focused on helping you remain active and independent as you age in your own home. We serve the greater Cincinnati area. For more information, contact us online or call (513) 719-3522.