Laughter is good medicine - Really!

Here's something interesting: a recent article from Calgary has pointed out that a paralyzed teen has begun to regain her ability to move and communicate by cultivating her sense of humour. Apparently, when her parents realized that she was showings and reacting to jokes they told her, they decided that perhaps more laughter would be the key to her recovery.

Now the teen in enrolled in a program that contains something called "Laughter Yoga", which is apparently a new health and wellness movement that focuses on, er.. well, laughing.

It seems like it's a fairly novel idea, but believe me, the organizing seems rather legitimate and wants to be anything but a novelty.

So what is it all about? Well, apart from the fact that laughter helps people get their minds off more distressing matters or pain, the Laughter Yoga movement suggests that laughing can be a full body wellness routine.

 

Going on the principle that just as our bodies cannot physically tell the difference between real and "fake" laughter, the idea here is that our bodies will reap the same psychological benefits from forced and natural laughter. Pretty interesting. I mean, who cannot deny that they feel pretty good after a decent laugh or two? As well, even fake laughter can be fun, provided it's not done in a mocking way, but rather a bunch of close friends sitting around and just plain laughing.

So I wonder then, is this something that's catching on? Laughter, after all, is contagious. Have you had a good laugh today? Maybe your body and mind will thank you.