HEALTH

Why I Laugh Every Morning for 15 minutes

Because fake laughter is much more powerful!

I was depressed for about 36 hours. I was overwhelmed with the way things were going in my profession and relationships. Until I turned to laughter — the fake type.

My fascination with the human body, life’s purpose, and finding simple, solutions to serious problems led me to “Laughter Yoga.”

The dire situation called for extreme practice. I didn’t want to be depressed. Not even for an hour. I have been practicing laughing meditation for the last few years that involves laughing for a minute or two at most.

Now, with laughter yoga, I decided to go all-in by practicing pointless laughing for 15 minutes.

Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of “Laughter Yoga” explains how a minimum of 15 minutes of vigorous belly laughter is required to feel the health benefits. Physiological and biochemical changes only happen then.

This type of laughter oxygenates our body to its optimum. And when the cells in our body have enough oxygen, we simply cannot fall sick.

I like novel experiences, weird things, strange people, and remote places. Pointless laughing seemed to fit right in with my lifestyle. But for 15 minutes? Hmm…I wasn’t sure if I had the physical stamina.

There was nothing to lose.

I locked myself in the bedroom. Making sure that my belly was moving all the time, I started laughing with my eyes closed in a meditative position.

After about 5 minutes, I felt I had to move. Then I opened my eyes, got up, and started walking around in the bedroom continuing my belly laughter. Had I started making graceful moves, I would’ve been a belly dancer.

Then I started feeling the feedback loop — the fake laughter I was presently acting out was causing the next round of laughter to automatically happen. It was strange but funny. I started enjoying it.

Soon I got both my hands involved — raising them high and bringing them low. My fake laughter started turning more and more natural. The last 5 minutes were funny indeed. I kept laughing non-stop.

15 minutes were up! But no, I couldn’t stop laughing. It continued on as I went into the bathroom to shower. I was still giggling after I had showered.

The brain cannot differentiate between what is real and fake laughter, according to neuroscientists.

Bodily expression of any emotion can reinforce that specific emotion in the mind. The same applies to laughter. Normally we use our cognitive abilities to laugh, ex: watch comedy. We can also use our bodies to laugh as children do. They tend to laugh all the time when they are playing. Cognitively, there is nothing funny going on.

This phenomenon points to the association between the body and mind. They are linked. This is why, if you put laughter in the body, the mind will get it.

For the last 4 days, upon waking up, the first thing I have been doing is laughing for 15 minutes. It starts in the bed. I start slow and soft, and after 15 minutes, I am feeling funny, crazy, and happy.

This is who I have been faking my laughter, and I will continue to do so.

Laughter, it seems, is meaningful in itself. There is no need to find a reason to laugh.

In the past, I would resort to coffee, comedy, food, or something extrinsic to lighten up my mood.

Now, I’ve discovered “fake” laughter is a much powerful choice.

This practice is having silly and amazing effects. My perception about the people I meet and things I see on a daily basis isn’t as serious. When I see people looking serious and working with their laptops, I see my past self.

As I write these words, I am smiling and I can feel a tiny version inside me laughing like crazy.

When living in a high-pressure and high-tension environment, we don’t have many reasons to laugh. This is exactly what we need — disconnect our laughter from its reasons.

If you asked me whether fake-laughter could help us get out of low-mood, or depression, my answer is: YES. It does help. Try it.

Viktor Frankl, who is quoted so much for the suffering he endured, probably isn’t known for this quote that highlights the importance of laughter:

“I never would have made it if I could not have laughed. It lifted me momentarily out of this horrible situation, just enough to make it livable.” — Viktor Frankl

Simple solutions are great, especially if they help solve big problems. I can read all the self-help books and the scientific journals I want, but I miss the point if I don’t laugh.

I don’t need to save the world. I just need to laugh. Every day. For no reason.

Upen Singh writes about people, progress, and the future. He is interested in making lives better.

Having traveled to over 25 countries he is always seeking new adventures to learn from and share. He lives in Thailand, Nepal, and the United States, constantly traveling. He is currently involved in a village development project called Metta Valley in far-west Nepal.