Laughter Provides Emotional and Physiological Benefits To Patients and Care Givers Alike

For centuries people have said that laughter is the best medicine, but until recently this fact remained scientifically unproven. However, since 1964, when Norman Cousins incorporated humor the rapy in his t r ea tmen t of ankylos ing spondylitis, the medical world has begun to take more serious notice of the healing power of humor and the positive emotions associated with it. The relationship between stress (negative emotions) and disease and illness has proven to be profound, with approximately 70 percent to 90 percent of disease and illness strongly associated with stress.-' Cousins's premise and subsequent health philosophy was this: "If negative thoughts can hayc negative physiological repercussions, can posit ive t h o u g h t s p roduce positive effects throughout the body?" This hypothesis planted seeds for the development of a new medical discipline, psychoneuroimmunology, the study of the mind-body relationship. H u m o r and laughter are currently being employed as tools to promote and maintain health everywhere, from the classroom to the boardroom. In addition to its use in preventive medicine, humor also has a role as an intervention and rehabilitation tool in the clinical setting for a host of maladies and illnesses related to stress and life-style. Although alone it is no replacement for clinical medicine, humor's supplementary use is now recognized as a powerful aid for bo th patients and healthcare professionals.