Laughter – Even Yoga-Induced - Can Lower Blood Pressure

It’s pretty well accepted that laughter is good for you, healthwise, even if it’s not “the best medicine”. But does the act of laughing make people feel better, or is it because the subject has a good sense of humor, a positive attitude, or the support of family and friends? A report at the recent American Society of Hypertension meeting provides one answer to this question.

Dr Madan Kataria is the founder of the Laughter Yoga School in Mumbai, India; today there are more than 6,000 laughter clubs and studios in more than 60 countries. In this study, there were 200 men and women from the information-technology industry in India . Their jobs were considered particularly stressful. They agreed to participate in 7 typical laughter yoga sessions lasting 20 to 30 minutes over a 3-week period. The idea is to simulate laughter for 45 seconds up to one minute, followed by deep breathing and gentle stretching. This is repeated for the full session. Percentage blood pressure changes were compared with those of a 100-strong no-laughter control group.

In the laughter-yoga group, the systolic blood pressures fell by an average of 6.2%, while the control group’s pressures were unchanged. The diastolic pressures fell by 3.8% in the laughter-yoga group, but were unchanged in the controls.

Dr Kataria emphasizes that, to be effective in this way, laughter has to be hearty – a belly laugh – and it should be extended for a period of time. If you would like help in this sort of therapy (videos, DVDs, books, newsletter) you can visit his website, and maybe find a laughter club nearby.