Power of Humor

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Have you ever laughed so hard that your sides ache, and it was hard to catch your breath? Have you ever had “laughing” tears streaming down your face, as you tried desperately to regain your composure? If so, then you probably know the welcome feeling of release that can follow a good laugh. And while laughter has always been known to “be good for the soul,” recent medical research is uncovering the true healing power of humor.

Allen Klein, “Jollytologist” and author of The Healing Power of Humor, is on a mission to make you laugh. Why? Because he feels that the “therapeutic benefits of humor…can be used to cope with life’s most difficult times.” After losing his wife to cancer at age 34, he realized that throughout her ordeal, she never lost her sense of humor. Although she eventually succumbed to the disease, her positive outlook helped to made her degenerating health slightly easier on herself and her loved ones.

Allen speaks at health care facilities, large corporations and seminars about how to adapt his humorous approach to life as your own. He breaks down his philosophy into 5 steps:

L- “Let Go.” If you are holding onto anger, resentment or fear, how can you let go and laugh?

A- stands for “attitude.” If you change your approach to problems, and look at things in a humorous way, they may not seem as troubling as they once did.

U- yo”U” are the only one that can change your outlook, not anyone else.

G-stands for “Go do it!” You shouldn’t wait to begin your new approach to life.

H- You need to open your “Humor eyes” and ‘Humor ears” and notice the humor in everything around you.

Why Laughing Matters!
Although no one has claimed that laughter can cure or prevent disease, it has been proven to reduce stress levels and enhance the quality of life. When a person laughs, their heart and breathing rate increases, which stimulates the circulatory system. This bodily change also attributes the relaxation one can feel after having a good laugh.

Dr. Steve Sultanoff, president of the The American Association for Therapeutic Humor, claims that studies have shown that in the immune system, certain antibodies can be boosted with laughter. He also explains that, “serum cortisol, which is a hormone secreted when we’re under stress, can decrease [with laughter].”