Laughter and Longevity

On his 99th birthday, comedian George Burns was asked, "What is the secret to a long life?"

Burns replied, "Keep breathing."

I would amend his answer and add, "Keep laughing."

More and more medical research shows that a good sense of humor is linked with longevity. The Bible says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine," and studies now bear out that pearl of ancient wisdom.

Today we recognize that one of the greatest assets humans can possess in their golden years is a keen sense of humor. It's a natural tonic for mind, body and spirit always at the ready to help us handle the myriad challenges of advancing years.

Speaking to a group of seniors not long ago, I asked them, "What's funny about aging?" Someone in the back shouted, "Nothing!" Then somebody up front yelled, "Everything!" The audience laughed and applauded, except for a few sourpusses. Some people would rather die than laugh. And many do. As Phyllis Diller used to say, "Most grumps don't live longer – it just seems like it."

We all face a multitude of unavoidable hurdles in later years – coping with sudden change, learning to live with disability, dealing with physical and mental infirmity, grappling with loss and loneliness. None of these issues is particularly funny. But that's what humor is for – to help take the bite out of adversity. A humorous attitude helps one maintain a positive perspective, which in turn helps to minimize setbacks. Having the ability to face life with a light-hearted attitude allows us to manage stress. It provides the resilience we need to roll with the inevitable punches.

I received an e-mail recently from a woman who said her doctor told her the best medicine to get through her cancer was to laugh. She embraced his advice, and the good news is, she's now on the road to recovery.

And a friend who's got a great knack for seeing things funny recently told me about her annual Medicare visit with her doctor. One of her chief complaints was feeling tired all the time. The doc said, "You need to get more exercise."

She said, "Nonsense. I get more exercise now than I ever did."

He asked her to explain.

"I'm forgetful," she said, "so I log several miles a day just walking around the house looking for my keys and glasses. And since I'm not as coordinated as I used to be, I drop things. So I'm constantly bending, stretching and lifting. And my bladder is weak, so I have to run to the toilet a million times day and night."

"I see," said the doctor. "Well, no wonder you're so tired."

Several years ago at a health conference, I had the pleasure of spending time with Norman Cousins, the former editor of "Saturday Review". His book, "Anatomy of an Illness" was a best seller. In it he described how he survived a life-threatening ailment by incorporating belly laughs into his daily medical regimen.

With the support of his doctors, he devised a plan to help combat his illness by including large doses of laughter. The results were revelatory. Ten minutes of belly laughs produced an anesthetic effect that allowed at least two hours of pain-free sleep. Sedimentation rates taken before and after those laughter exercises provided quantifiable evidence that laughing is indeed good medicine.

When Cousins reported his findings in the "New England Journal of Medicine" his article prompted more than 3000 letters of support from doctors who had observed similar results in their patients.

Cousins' book opened new avenues in medical research, and forever changed the thinking about the connection between humor and health. He told me, "If negative forces like tension and stress could weaken the body to the point where it could succumb to illness, then positive forces – confidence, joy, faith, hope, love, laughter and the will to live – might have the opposite effect." He also said that humor interrupts the panic cycle of illness, and helps to restore a feeling of well-being.

Since then, medical research has shown that laughter has a positive effect on immunity, too. In fact, its benefits appear to be boundless.

Cousins called laughter "internal jogging." And studies have confirmed that belly laughs produce some of the same cardiovascular benefits as strenuous exercise. A good laugh can actually burn off calories. It also stimulates circulation and aids digestion.

In a study of patients subjected to prolonged hospitalization, laughter improved morale, decreased anxiety and restored a feeling of wellness and calm.

For many, laughter reduces stress better than vodka or Valium. Plus it's salt-free, low calorie, polyunsaturated, you don't need a prescription, it doesn't cost a dime, and there are no harmful side effects.

For the chronologically advantaged, here's the best part – laughter can actually slow the aging process.

How do you put more humor into your life?

Start with this 5-step plan:

1. Make a personal Humor First Aid Kit for yourself. Nobody knows what makes you laugh better than you do. Assemble a collection of everything that really tickles your funny bone. Humorous books, jokes, stories, movies, TV shows, cartoons, and magazine and newspaper clippings. These will become a reliable source of laughter whenever you need a lift.

2. Laugh out loud. Big belly laughs are the best way to give your funny bone – and your entire system – a good workout. And since the physical act of laughing is so beneficial, aim for at least 15 rib-rocking laughs every day. Laughing out loud is contagious – it spreads the joy around. Considering that Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Jerry Lewis have each spent nine decades laughing and making others laugh, it's entirely possible that spreading laughter around might also contribute to longevity.

3. Laugh at yourself. The person who can chuckle at his or her own expense will never run out of good comedy material.

4. Try to see the funny side of life – no matter how unfunny things might seem. Comedian Bob Hope said, "I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable – even hopeful."

5. Expose yourself to something funny every day. Even if you have to take off all your clothes and look in the mirror. But before you cry, consider the words of comedian Phyllis Diller: "If you don't have wrinkles, you haven't laughed enough.

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Copyright © 2015 by Larry Wilde
Reprinted from the Carmel Pine Cone