Laughter: an Underused Natural Medicine, Central to Healing

In my meditation work, people arrive with all sorts of personal concerns. There is one particular question which I love to ask, because it often gives me part of the answer to their issues. Something which is often overlooked yet central to emotional balance and the healing process. However it is a question which also makes me feel slightly awkward. Mainly because I know how much it puts people on the spot, how very personal it is, and also how much it can highlight things like addictions and other emotional crutches, or social pressures and embedded cultural expectations.

In most cases people don’t have an answer for it anyway, at least on the first attempt! We find the answer in their subconscious in the meditative state. It is the question;

‘What do you do for fun?’

To put it into another context ; Imagine being asked that on a first date? Could you be honest? Personally I still like to pretend I’m ‘work, church and home’, which to be fair I am these days given I have a 4 year old.

Anyway, do you partake in enough healthy fun and laughter in your life so you can actually answer this question? However think back to your younger self - having fun was likely at least a well planned once a week activity with your friends, or in your childhood it was part of the everyday. As we get older it’s easy to slip away from living a life in line with laughter and fun.

Laughter and joy are underestimated as natural medicines, but their impact on holistic wellness cannot be over-emphasised. Beyond the temporary pleasure they bring, these emotions have profound effects on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. They have incredible stress-relieving abilities. When we laugh, our body releases endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones that reduce stress levels and promote a sense of relaxation. This natural response helps lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, and is thought to improve overall cardiovascular health. Additionally, laughter triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, reward, and motivation, which can elevate our mood and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Laughter and joy promote social connection and strengthen relationships. Sharing laughter with others creates bonds, fosters a sense of belonging, and enhances communication. Laughter acts as a social medicine, breaking down barriers and promoting empathy and understanding. It encourages a positive atmosphere, diffuses tension, and helps resolve conflicts. The joy we experience when connecting with others fosters emotional well-being and supports a holistic sense of community.

In addition to the physiological and social benefits, fun also improves cognitive function. By embracing joy in daily life, we cultivate a mindset that is open, flexible, and resilient, allowing us to navigate challenges with greater ease and adaptability.

To harness the healing power it's important to prioritise activities that evoke genuine amusement and happiness. Surrounding ourselves with positive, uplifting people, engaging in playful and light-hearted activities, and seeking out humour in various healthy forms—can all contribute to incorporating more laughter and joy into our lives.

So, whats the secret to staying joyful and having a life filled with enough laughter to be holistically healthy? Well that’s something only you can work out because it’s personal to you. Its’ about personal meaning, and meaning is different for all of us.

I recently heard the comedian, turned TV presenter, Patrick Kielty talk about how he first got into stand-up comedy which led to his TV career. His is a story that I hope will make you consider the role of laughter in your own life, the connection to meaning, purpose and most of all - healing.

Patrick, like myself, grew up in ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland. He is well known in Ireland for being one of the few people who spanned the two sides of a divided society. A society torn apart and controlled by religiously segregated communities and cold-blooded armed conflict. He initially created a popular comedy club in Belfast in the 90’s, which was one of the rare places where both sides of the religious divide joined and safely socialised together. Central to Kielty’s humour was the war itself. Laughter was at the time the only medicine for a very dark social and political backdrop. Patrick created laughter which became the social glue in an otherwise broken society. A true peacekeeper, who was working from the heart.

It is therefore shocking, and heartbreaking, to think that the reason Patrick Keilty made a promise to himself to be successful in the first place, was because his dad was one of the innocent people shot dead during ‘the troubles’. Patrick vowed he would do something to make his dad proud of him. In doing so, he didn’t just bring a divided community together; he refused to be a victim, refused to be bitter or live in hatred, but instead channelled his unique power and creative talent into building the new instead of living in or fighting the past.

There is a famous Buddhist saying ‘Anger is like drinking poison, and expecting the other person to die’

In this case - Laughter is the medicine.