Anticipating Laughter Is Good Medicine

Nov. 7, 2002 -- Laughter may be good medicine, but it's the thought that counts when it comes to beating stress. New research shows that anticipating a funny event may be enough to get your stress-busting hormones flowing and trigger a healthy response in your body.

Researchers found that the mere expectation of watching a funny video up to three days in advance stimulated the release of stress relievers and lowered the level of stress-inducing chemicals in the blood.

The findings were presented this week at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Orlando, Fla.

Study author Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, assistant professor of family medicine at the Susan Samueli Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, says his previous studies found watching a funny video reduced feelings of stress and decreased specific hormones. But in this study, researchers looked at whether there was a biological basis for this reaction

The study involved 16 healthy men at Loma Linda University. Half of the men were told three days in advance that they'd be watching a humorous video, and the others were not. Blood samples were taken before, during, and after they watched the video.

Researchers found levels of three stress hormones (cortisol, dopac, and epinephrine) dropped by 38% to 70% in the group that was anticipating the funny video. In addition, levels of stress-reducing endorphins and growth hormone rose by 27% and 87%, respectively.

No such changes were found in the group that wasn't told about the video.

"Since chronic stress can suppress the immune system's ability to fight disease, reducing the effects of stress can help the body resist infections and other disorders," says Berk, in a news release. "This study shows that even knowing you will be involved in a positive humorous event days in advance reduces levels of stress hormones in the blood and increases levels of chemicals known to aid relaxation."

Berk says the positive changes also lasted long after the actual event. These feelings of optimism and expectation may help people recover for illness, which he says may form a biological basis for the concept of hope. -->