It’s not a joke. A new stud
y published in The Proceedings of the Royal Society (that’s not a joke either) supports the conviction that laughter triggers the release of endorphins, which may or may not get you high, and will very probably reduce the sensation of pain. The Washington Post reports that the research, conducted at Oxford University, consisted of six experiments in which people watched sitcoms or a live comedy performance, either alone or with others. The participants were then made to feel various kinds of discomfort, including wearing an ice-cold sleeve or a tight blood-pressure cuff and squatting against a wall for long periods. In all cases, laughing with friends for just 15 minutes resulted in an average 10 percent increase in pain threshold. The researchers found that simply getting happy but not laughing out loud did not have a significant impact on pain sensation. There’s backup: The study’s lead author cites another study that found that people who laugh have less need of pain meds after surgery. Yes, there is a catch. The Oxford researchers found that endorphins sufficient to reduce pain are released only when we “laugh until it hurts.”
Wait, there’s more: Laughing also lowers blood pressure.