LAUGHTER THERAPY

Laughter really IS the best medicine! The problem is we just don’t laugh enough anymore, or in the way that’s most beneficial to our health. I’ve been interested in laughter for health ever since I researched the subject for an article I wrote back in 2006,  for the Laughter themed issue of the magazine Linking Hands that I was producing for a mental health organisation.  At the time I was exploring alternative ways to treat my own debilitating depression and mental health condition and writing about them but became especially interested after it literally saved my life. (The Marmite Story is one of my favourite talks now and describes what happened). I wanted to know more and while researching clowning in 2010 I clicked through articles and information online, clicking on link after link until I happened across The Laughter Network. They were running a weekend Laughter Facilitator training the following weekend!  What were the chances? I had to do it, so I got a friend to look after my son and booked on the two day course. Smiling for 15 seconds a day was the first task in the run up to the training. This was very difficult to start with but I wanted to do it, so through gritted teeth I would smile at myself in the mirror every day for a week. Then the training came along, and that was just the start. 

I’ve been using laughter in various ways, projects and workshops for over a decade now, training as a laughter yoga leader and in laughter therapy (which also combines beautifully with NLP), allowing me to work with people on a one to one basis.  Mostly though, I want people to be able to incorporate laughter as a daily practice and where better to do it than while you’re on the toilet; giving an added benefit to women of my kind of age too! That’s where the poster comes in. 

Image taken from a laughter therapy workshop showing me laughing

THE LAUGHTER LOO SONG & POSTER

Image of Laughter Loo Poster from Laughter Yoga session at a festival.

Having run laughter workshops at festivals for many years, I started to see people come back year after year so I asked them if they continued with the practice when they got home. Most people said that they started to but then they’d not have the time or would get out of the routine and forget. I decided to see if I could find a way to change that. I’d create a poster that people could put up to remind them! 

In June 2023, I wanted to learn an instrument so I had some basic lessons on the Ukulele at the end of Goddess Conscious Camp and practiced every day at home and wrote the silly little Laughter Loo Song. 

In August I shifted the way I delivered the Laughter workshop at Harlequin Fayre – adding in the exercise I’d delivered during that very first training back in 2010 for my example of what I might do in a laughter session – the HO HEE HA HA – which is the laughter version of the Hokey Cokey and one of my favourites as I had fond memories of it from Christmas parties growing up with my big family. FUN FACT we even did it at my Nans 100th birthday party Nan dancing with us. 

At the end of the workshop – white with nerves – I took the plunge and played the little song for the first time in front of an audience that wasn’t my other half and It worked! I’m no singer but it doesn’t matter – the main thing is that it’s fun, silly AND will remind people to laugh daily. People got the posters to put up at work or in their bathrooms at home and it may well be that you saw one which is why you found this website in the first place! 🙂 I hope it works and reminds people to laugh, or even smile while they sit on the loo, 

What a good use of the time. I’m also intrigued by what other people in the house might think.

Here is the song and what it sounds like, filmed by Mark Barnard at Monkey Puzzle Jam in September 2023 and he's given me permission to share it here.

If you’d like your own poster you can order one by sending me an email at teigh-anne@tashave.co.uk (unless I’ve worked out how to set up a shop already). AND if you’d like to book a Laughter Therapy session of your get in touch. 

EMAIL NOW FOR A POSTER OR TO BOOK A SESSION

*THE BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER

  • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
  • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
  • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
  • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
  • Laughter burns calories. Okay, so it’s no replacement for going to the gym, but one study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories—which could be enough to lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.
  • Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment.
  • Laughter may even help you to live longer. A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humour outlived those who don’t laugh as much. The difference was particularly notable for those battling cancer.

What are the physical, mental, and social benefits of laughter?

Physical health benefits

  • Boosts immunity
  • Lowers stress hormones
  • Decreases pain
  • Relaxes your muscles
  • Prevents heart disease

Mental health benefits

  • Adds joy and zest to life
  • Eases anxiety and tension
  • Relieves stress
  • Improves mood
  • Strengthens resilience

Social benefits

  • Strengthens relationships
  • Attracts others to us
  • Enhances teamwork
  • Helps defuse conflict
  • Promotes group bonding

Laughter helps you stay mentally healthy

Laughter makes you feel good and this positive feeling remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humour helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

The link between laughter and mental health

Laughter stops distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.

Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.

Laughter shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and diffuse conflict.

Laughter draws you closer to others, which can have a profound effect on all aspects of your mental and emotional health.