Summer 1999
Taking Humor Seriously

In 1995, a new organization emerged in Bombay, India. Within a month, thousands of members throughout the city began their day putting the organization's credo into action: In group format, men and women began to laugh "artificially" which progressed naturally into giggles which evolved into an infectious, authentic, "deep in the gut" belly laugh. Thus the beginning of Laughter Club International, brainchild of Dr. Madan Kataria, a Bombay physician who believes that laughter is good for the heart and soul.

I started imagining Celeste, Ryan, Ansley, Alyssa, and I doing a "jump start belly laugh" on our front lawn every morning. Then I thought to myself, "What if my neighbors joined in?" And why stop there? Whole communities can do it, nay, the entire country, nay, the entire world. Perhaps then the evening news could begin with a montage of laughing images as reporters scanned the globe for the day's highlights. Since a person's laugh is as distinctive as a fingerprint, the images would always be fresh and would be, well, funny. Perhaps an 80-year old Hindu man in his lungi on the banks of the Ganges River, holding his belly and roaring a deep, hearty, Santa kind of laugh could be juxtaposed with a five-year old New York City girl on the sidewalks of Park Avenue jumping up and down in "giggles galore." How would this alter our perceptions of the self, family, community, country, and world?

Laughter is being taken more seriously these days in the medical and therapeutic communities. Research is seeping into professional journals validating the various benefits of the laugh:

1) Laughter stimulates the immune system. Research by Dr. Lee Berk shows that laughter lowers levels of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine. At the same time, the immune system appears to grow stronger as the body's T cells, natural killer cells, and antibodies all show signs of heightened activity during laughter. Another study led by K. Dillon found subjects showed an increased concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A (a defense against the entry of infectious organisms through the respiratory tract) after viewing a humorous video.

2) Laughter engages various parts of the brain. Derks from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg showed that humor pulls the various parts of the brain together rather than activating a component in only one area. Perhaps this is one reason why people often find that a dose of lengthy laughter can be followed by a burst of creativity and group problem solving.

3) Laughter is a good cardio workout. It increases the activity of the heart and stimulates circulation. In addition, after the laughter subsides, the cardiovascular system goes into a state of relaxation.

4) The threshold of pain is raised during and for a short period of time after laughter. After years of prolonged pain from a rare spinal disease, Norman Cousins, former editor of the US Saturday Review, stopped taking drugs and self-prescribed a new regime of pain killers: When the pain became unbearable, Cousins would watch videos of Laurel and Hardy and Marx Brothers. Five minutes of giggling could provide him with up to two hours of pain relief. This increase of pain threshold during and after laughing episodes has been confirmed in studies.

There are also studies showing the effects of laughter upon the muscular and respiratory systems. Indeed, with the growing validity of psychoneuroimmunology, laughter will most likely be linked to every cell in the human body. There are also various psychological and emotional effects of laughter. For instance, laughter offers a respite from intense moments and energizes us spiritually. Laughter builds rapport, increases communication, and increases our sense of safety with another. As Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. has repeatedly said in his weekend workshops, "A belly laugh a day, keeps the divorce lawyers away." In addition, a study done by Walter E. O'Connell, Ph.D. showed that the most self actualized, happy people scored high in appreciation of a sense of humor. In contrast, those with pathological conditions scored high on hostile wit.

With this incoming data, a number of mental health professionals are experimenting with ways to add humor into the therapy office. Here are some recommendations for including humor in the therapeutic environment:

1) Connect to your own childlike nature. An average six-year old laughs 300 times a day. An average adult laughs anywhere from 15 to 100. Contract with yourself to play everyday. For example, go to a playground and listen in on children's conversations. And don't hesitate to slide down the slide with partner in tow.

2) Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D. recommends that humor be spontaneous but also warns that it equally should be planned. "The counselor, to be effective, must be prepared with 'humor tools' such as cartoons, anecdotes, jokes, puns, signs, props, etc. which illustrate a wide range of psychological issues." Therefore, when the moment offers itself, the therapist has a repertoire of items to appropriately choose from.

3) Assess the client's ability to therapeutically accept humor. You can either observe the client's use of humor on themselves and on others (and whether it is used in healthy, non-threatening ways) or can directly ask the client(s) how they have fun in their lives.

Therapeutic cautions include: 1) Avoid gratifying your own need to be humorous: Use humor only in the client's best interest. 2) Be cautious about clients' feeling they are not being taken seriously. 3) Do not force laughter that is insincere. 4) Be aware of sarcastic humor and humor that is used to create distance from an emotional experience. 5) Make conscious choices when intuitively engaging in humor since, as Sultanoff warns, you risk "representing your own baggage."

Imago processes that can be adapted to include laughter include a "I laughed with you when we." list. Or couples can envision a Relationship Vision on Laughing: "I would like to laugh with you when we curl up in bed at night in fetal position and exchange ?baby talk.'" (Try it, it's fun!) You can also have a list of activities for couples to choose from as a "between sessions" assignment. For those clients who need assistance, Imago therapist Dale Bailey, Th.D. created a "humor process" which begins the dialogue with, "What makes me feel uncomfortable about being ridiculous and absurd with you is..."

I would still love to see the day when a universal doctrine of belly laughs becomes a daily ritual. Perhaps then everyone begins their day with an activated immune system, a stronger heart, increased brain activity, a stronger sense of self, and feeling safe and bonded with their family and neighbors. Until then, don't forget to engage daily in laughter. And don't forget to let your family, friends, colleagues, and clients in on the punch line.