Throughout time we have heard the statement “Laughter is the best medicine”. Research today has shown that there are numerous health benefits to laughter!

Take a look at some of the benefits of laughter and see how beneficial it would be to incorporate humor into daily activity programs in your senior community.

Helps Manage Hormones:

• Laughter increases health-enhancing hormones like neurotransmitters and endorphin’s, while reducing stress hormones such as cortisol.

Offers an Internal Workout:

• Not only does laughing work the abdominal muscles and cheek muscles in your face, but laughing on a regular basis also increases blood flow which improves the function of blood vessels. Who knew laughing was such a great cardiovascular exercise?

Helps keep you Positive and Fight against Depression:

• Laughter can be a great distraction from negative emotions often caused by stress, and again it helps regulate stress hormones.

Has Social Benefits:

• Laughter is contagious, and can often draw attention to what others are laughing about which opens up opportunities for social activities.

Assists in Fighting Illness:

• It’s been proven people who are optimistic have stronger immune systems. No matter what illness you may be fighting, laughter can offer an extra boost to the immune system.

Try taking your activity programs to the next level through laughter. Remember to “Put on a Happy Face” and share the joy of laughter with your residents.  Begin by warming up each activity program with a joke, or try hosting a comedy hour. If you really want to challenge your residents to LOL (Laugh Out Loud) have them have a “Joke-off” with an audience and see who received more laughter. The opportunities to laugh are endless!!

For more information on laughter and its benefits, check out Laughter Yoga!