Laughter Clubs

Are you in need of a good laugh? Check out Laughter Clubs. These are social groups that get together for the sole purpose of practicing laughter. Not only is it fun, but there’s an extra bonus because laughing is very healthy for you! Studies have proven that laughing has many healthy attributes, such as:

• Lowering blood pressure
• Improving immune function
• Releasing endorphins to alleviate pain
• Decreasing depression
• Providing an over all feeling of well-being

In addition, the laughter practiced in Laughter Clubs is a physical workout. Done over a period of time, laughter can increase a person’s heart rate and circulation. It also exercises the lungs, diaphragm, and facial muscles.

A bit of history…

Laughter Clubs were developed by Dr. Madan Kataria, an Indian physician, as a way to alleviate stress and have fun. It’s estimated that there are 5,000 clubs worldwide. While most of them use the Yoga Laughter techniques developed by Dr. Kataria, this is not a requirement. As Dr. Kataria’s admits, “Laughing for no reason is not rocket science.”

Basically, all you really need is a group of open minded people and a willingness to practice laughing out loud over a period of time. Groups work best because laughter is contagious. Once you get one person laughing; others will join in.

Usually, laughter groups use physical humor or some other trigger to encourage laughter, but it’s not necessary. Believe it or not, it’s just as effective to make the sound of laughter, even if you’re faking it.

If you wonder how this works…

Well, it seems that the brain doesn’t know the difference between real laughter and fake laughter. It produces the same positive chemical responses either way.

A comprehensive overview of Laughter Clubs…

You can learn just about everything you want about Laughter Clubs at the following site: http://www.laughteryoga.org. It has almost everything you need to know about Laughter Clubs and Laughter Yoga.

I think it’s wonderful that Laughter Clubs are becoming so popular worldwide. Just think, you could visit another country and practicing laughing with the people, even if you don’t speak their language. After all, laughter is an innate knowledge we share with all people; it needs no translations to be understood and shared.

Addendum: Thanks to Tosha, a reader, I forgot to mention that Laughter Clubs are free, just as they should be!

Okay, I’m ready to go. How about you?