The Therapeutic Value Of Laughter In Medicine

Everyday millions of people are laughing all over the world. Why is laughing so important to humans? Can it benefit people in more areas than just entertainment? According to the articles, “Carry on Laughing?” and “The Therapeutic Value of Laughter in Medicine”, it can. Evidence in both articles indicates that laughter can be used to improve health. In the article “Carry on Laughing”, Roger Dobson relates how recent studies performed by various colleges and hospitals proved that laughter can be beneficial to health (2008). One study was performed on a group of mothers with babies diagnosed with eczema. The research involved showing them a funny film. The mothers that laughed had higher levels of melatonin in their breastmilk. After the babies had been fed the melatonin-rich milk, they had less allergic reactions than before. Another study suggested laughter could improve the immune system. This study involved showing a funny film to a group of men and women. They discovered that the blood levels of natural killer cells activity had increased. While other studies were mentioned, the claim and result of all of them was that laughter improved health in some way. …show more content…
For example, Dobson states, “When researchers at Japan’s Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine showed a 75-minute funny film to a group of men and women, they found that blood levels of natural killer cells activity increased by 26.5 percent. (2008)”. While Dobson gives a percent of the level of activity increased in the blood, he does not mention how many people were involved in the study or if the percentage was an average or across the board. That said, Dobson does mention at least five studies that are in favor of laughter improving