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Ha, Ha, Ha...I Feel Better!
A group of men and women
are standing around in a circle. First, someone starts to laugh. Then a few
more people chuckle. Soon, the whole gang is
cracking up. They are not laughing because someone said something
funny. Instead, this group of people is practicing
laughter therapy.
When we laugh from being
tickled or after hearing a joke, our bodies and minds feel good.
Laughing is also contagious4. When one person laughs, the people around him
or her will soon start laughing, too.
The use of laughter therapy has been in hospitals
since the 1970s. A doctor in the US found that getting his patients to laugh
helped them recover better. His story was later made into the movie Patch
Adams, which starred Robin Williams. In India, Dr. Madan Kataria started a
laughter club in 1995 to encourage good health. From then on, this form of
therapy has spread around the world. People in these groups may feel
uncomfortable at first because the laughter feels forced. But once they
give in and fully enjoy the 45-minute
activity, they feel at ease. People who take
part in laughter therapy learn what scientists have known for years — laughter
is the best medicine.
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