Laughter Really Is Good Medicine

The research Young and her coauthors conducted focused on a workplace laughter group that met for 15-minute sessions over 15 consecutive workdays. During the regimen, participants showed significant increases in optimism, self-awareness, positive emotions, social identification and more—gains they maintained even after the study ended.

"Laughter without humor can literally make you feel better, think better and function better," says Young, who now takes her laughter exercise program to businesses, health care groups and others.

Many of today's laughter groups have their roots in a practice called Laughter Yoga, which combines "laughter for no reason" exercises with yogic breathing. Begun 14 years ago by a physician in India, there are now Laughter Yoga clubs around the world.

The sessions Danzger attended were taught by a trained Laughter Yoga leader, although Danzger worries that the name might keep some people away. "I do not like yoga," she explains. "For me, this was totally different. I loved it."

On your own

Learning to laugh with a group is often easier, but Young contends that you can benefit from laughing by yourself for 15 minutes a day. Here's the laughter exercise she suggests:

1. Give 3 big, noisy sighs as you inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

2. Stretch gently. Bring your shoulders to your ears; then lower gently. Rotate feet and elbows; turn your head from side to side—gently.

3. Take a few deep abdominal breaths and release slowly.

4. Holding your hands under your belly, make a laughing "ho-ho-ho." Make sure the sound comes from your core (you'll feel it in your hands when you're doing it right). Repeat 3 groups of 3, several times.

5. Change the sound to "ha-ha-ha" and repeat as above.

6. Change the sound to "hee-hee-hee" and repeat as above.

7. Put all 3 sounds together—"ho-ho-ho, ha-ha-ha, hee-hee-hee"—and repeat for 3 rounds, continuing until you develop a rhythm.

8. After the final round, break into your own natural laughter. Continue for a few minutes. If it becomes difficult, stop and go back to step #3 and start the laughing cycle again.

The exercise may feel contrived at first, but your normal laugh will come, Young says. She's seen it work with the stressed-out people she teaches.

"We have gotten ourselves so overscheduled and overwhelmed that we forget to be like children. We forget to give ourselves permission to be happy, to smile," she says.

"This is one tool to put in your toolbox to make your life more rewarding and make you feel better."