Laughter — Rx for the Immune System

And that’s no joke!

The official word from the Mayo Clinic — laughter is healing and therapeutic. No need to feel apologetic for not writing serious posts about the state of the world or its threatened end.

No need to wring our hands about handwashing on paper. No need to worry about being spiritually or politically correct as words flow onto the page. We’re the humorists and satirists, and our words matter.

Most of Shakespeare’s tragedies have a character who provided comic relief. Even King Lear has his Fool. Did you know that when Shakespeare was quarantined during the plague, he wrote King Lear?

Times like these call for some professional fools. After all, fools are the ones who can speak truth to power without losing their heads in the process. Now when the fool is the one in power, all bets are off.

In the uncertain and stressful times we’re suddenly living in, we especially need humor’s ability to de-stress, revitalize, and boost immunity. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter is a quick health tonic.

Short term effects:

It enhances our ability to breathe deeply and get more oxygen-rich air. No more 99% air! We want the rarified 1% that has all the dough, I mean the CO2.

This is especially important when people are stocking up and hoarding. Rumor has it folks are breathing in twice as much as they are breathing out right now, in anticipation of an oxygen shortage.

Which of course is not fair to the rest of us, so when you encounter one of these rude rogues, pop them in the chest with the sharp point of your elbow. From a six-foot distance, of course. You may break a few ribs, but that’ll teach them. Especially if their cart is also full of toilet paper.

A good, hearty laugh raises and then lowers our blood pressure and heart rate. Like an aerobic workout without all the sweat. Not only that, laughter is more efficient. Ten minutes of laughing is the kinesthetic equivalent of a strenuous half-hour workout.

So your choice — ten minutes fun and silliness or thirty minutes heavy panting and sweating. Which takes effort. Laughing is great for the abdominal muscles, too, beating sit-ups in popularity in a ratio of 300:1. Physical workouts take a lot of oxygen, and given the above-mentioned hoarders, let’s not take any chances, shall we?

Laughter has this paradoxical ability to increase circulation and relax muscles at the same time. Hence, laughter as a stress reducer. No wonder we love our late-night hosts who give us back the news of the day with a satirical twist.

Trevor Noah, Stephen Cobert, Jimmy Kimmel, and SNL — to name a few — relieve tension, helping us fall asleep at night. They also get their political and social commentary digs in as only beloved fools can. So they are much beloved.

Long term effects:

These are especially important given we may be in for a long dance with this new virus. We get to decide what our response is. We have a smorgasbord of emotional states to choose from — rage, anger, sorrow, self-pity, jealousy — what of other planets? As if we could have been on Mars by now if we hadn’t gotten distracted?

But staying positive with laughter’s help improves the immune system. We need this right now when it’s easy to be scared and negative, if not paranoid and enraged. This works because laughing releases neuropeptides in the brain, which combats stress and disease in the body.

When we laugh, our brain also produces dopamine and endorphins — natural pain killers. These neurochemicals also help with depression, but none of us are depressed, right?

It may be useful to think of the peptides as a shield and the endorphins as a sword, and you’re better armed to face a disaster of epic proportions. Especially if you wash your hands and cough into your elbow.

Laughter connects us with other people when shared. So please, like oxygen, don’t hoard. Share your stash. That way, we can come out of this alive and giggling, and no one gets hurt. Being able to laugh makes it easier to cope with stressful situations and people.

Consider practicing Laughter Yoga.

It’s easy. Just set a timer for at least ten minutes and just start laughing. If you need some help, get one of those Elmo dolls or dancing rabbis with a laugh track inside. Someone gave me a golf club cover that laughs when touched.

This was meant for laughing at, which is mean. But I use him — yes, he has a smiley face on him. I use him to get me going for a yoga laughter quickie session. It’s artificial at first, but you’ll be amazed how quickly it turns into the real thing. Not Coke. Laughter.

Be sensitive to others when doing this. If taken out of context, they may not understand. They may think you are laughing at them. But then again, you’re probably on lockdown and isolated, so it may be a moot point.

Most likely, no one will see you unless you record yourself and post it on Facebook. Then we all get to see you, so link it up here, and we can laugh at, I mean, with you! After all, it’s the best medicine, and we, ladies and gents, might be in for a bumpy ride.

If it weren’t virus-ing outside, I’d recommend a clown or improv class. Actually, I am going to one on zoom this coming Sunday. I’ll let you know how that goes. Till then, keep the corners of your mouth turned upward while you exhale deeply! And wash those hands. We know where they’ve been!

Marilyn Flower writes political humor and satire to delight socially and spiritually conscious folks. She’s a regular columnist for the prison newsletter, Freedom Anywhere, where she writes about faith and prayer. Five of her short plays have been produced in San Francisco. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times. Click here to receive ten templates for creating your next humorous piece.