Does Laughing Increase Your Lifespan?
FACT!
A study of over 50,000 Norwegians documented in Psychosomatic Medicine tested this idea by examining how humorous each person was through a quiz and also tracking how each person died. The researchers found that those who scored higher on the cognitive humor portion of the test (and can be assumed to laugh more) had an 83% (women) and 74% (men) less risk to die from infection. They discovered that for women who scored high also had 73% less chance of death from heart disease and overall, a 48% less chance of death from cancer, heart disease, infection, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Reasoning
The reasoning behind this, as Sven Svebak, a professor emeritus of neuromedicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology who co-authored the study, states, is that having a higher score can associate with being able to block against social conflict and other stressors which can produce stress hormones. One of these horomones, cortisol, can subdue the immune system's functions when increased.
LAUGH MORE!
Jennifer Aaker, a behavioral psychologist, and Naomi Bagdonas, a business consultant, teach a class on humor at Stanford Business School and have written a book on humor as well.
The pair conducted a survey in 166 countries and found that we are not laughing nearly as much as we should be.
Bagdonas states, "When we laugh with someone — whether through a screen or 2m apart — we get this cocktail of hormones that strengthen our emotional bonds in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible. Studies show it makes us more resilient, creative, and resourceful."