“We love to laugh, loud and long and clear. We love to laugh, so ev’rybody can hear!” Just the words from the song, I love to laugh, from the movie Mary Poppins make us chuckle and brighten our mood. There is healing in laughter! This workshop is a hands-on learning experience focused on the physical and mental health benefits of incorporating laughter into our lives, no matter our age or our profession.
Laughter therapy is a type of therapy that uses humor to help relieve pain, reduce stress, or even improve a person’s sense of well-being. Laughter therapy may include laughter exercises, comedy movies, books, games, and puzzles as complementary therapy, creating a holistic approach to health.
Laughter therapy is not new, it has roots…all the way back to the 14th century with de Mondeville, who found benefits to telling jokes to his patients. Mary Payne Bennett, and Drs. Kataria and Goodheart have led the way in research on the health impacts of laughter over the last 50-plus years.
Through the universal language of laughter, researchers have tracked the biological impact laughter has on the body. Biologically, laughter boosts the immune system, relaxes muscles, improves circulation and cardiac health, and has a positive impact on pain management. Laughter can be a form of mindful wellness and has been shown to reduce stress hormones and strengthen relationships.
The goal of laughter therapy is to increase our awareness about attitudes and feelings while providing an opportunity to laugh, a respite from our daily stress and worries, and promote laughter in our everyday lives while encouraging healthy choices.
In this laughter workshop, we will discuss the health benefits of laughter, explore ways to add more laughter to our lives, write a laughter prescription using the FITT method, and put laughter therapy into practice. Join this free workshop on, Thursday, August 4th from 2:00-3:00 at Worch Memorial Public Library.
If you are interested in participating in this one-hour, free workshop, please reach out to:
Worch Memorial Public Library,937-526-3416.
Worch Memorial Public Library is located at 790 South Center Street, Versailles.
For additional information on The Health Benefits of Laughter or other community programs, please contact Dr. Roseanne Scammahorn at 937-548-5215 or Scammahorn.5@osu.edu.