Dr. Peter McGraw is the creator of a humor research lab at the University of Colorado in Boulder. In the book The Humor Code, McGraw shares some of the benefits of smiling and laughing:
- Smiling, even fake smiling or laughing, can release endorphins in the brain which in turn tell us to feel happy
- Cortisol, the “stress hormone,” is reduced when we smile and laugh
- Laughing expands the lungs, allowing oxygen to flow to the lungs and it also exercises muscles within the body
- Laughter can help draw people in, creating social interactions that are important to wellbeing
In 2016, Mental Health Connecticut joined forces with Artreach, an arts and health nonprofit that uses creativity to support mental wellness, and Sea Tea Improv, an award-winning, professional comedy company, for “Art of Wellbeing: Laughing for Good.”
Each year, MHC’s Art of Wellbeing annual fundraiser chooses an art form to highlight to explore the various ways that the arts impacts our health. For the “Laughing for Good” event, we brought together the Artreach and Sea Tea Improv teams for an unscripted performance that engaged the audience and supported Artreach’s Second Step Players’ first foray into the improv scene.
“The Second Step Players love rehearsing comedy – it’s fun! Laughter makes it possible to keep things light even while addressing difficult topics. We’ve found that comedy helps deliver our message in a manner that is easy to hear. We call it comic alchemy – it’s magic how finding irony and humor about uncomfortable topics transmutes them into comic gold.” – Becca Atkins, Executive Director of Artreach, Inc. and 2019 Connecticut Arts Hero
“Laughter and fun are an essential part of being human, and an essential part of mental health. Taking a moment to laugh indicates that we are present in our surroundings. There are many different kinds of laughs: joyous, surprised, satirical, wry, ironic, loving– and all of them reflect our perspective on this time and this place, right here, right now. Laughter brings us together and connects us with people we didn’t even know we could be connected to. Sea Tea Improv is honored to laugh with people of all stripes. We know it’s made us better citizens and better people, and it’s certainly made all of us much, much happier.” – Julia Pistell, Sea Tea Improv
Mental Health America also believes in the power of humor. This year for Mental Health Month, MHA is promoting humor as one of five highlights of health in their #4Mind4Body campaign. Click here to check out the fact sheet on how humor is healing.
What makes you laugh? Tell us about it!
Use the hashtag #31DaysofWellness and tag us at @mentalhealthCT on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
