A Time to Laugh
By Stan M. Gardner, M.D.
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” Proverbs 17:22
Recently, my wife Cristie and I attended a performance by a “clean” comedian, Brian Regan. The whole evening was filled with laughter, as the audience listened to Brian’s unpretentious descriptions of life as a family man. His wry observations of normal, everyday events made everyone smile and chuckle, sometimes laughing so hard we had tears streaming down our faces. Yet his language was clean and uplifting, and it reinforced the joys and ironies of family life.
We loved it. Prior to going, we had been dealing with some stress, but after laughing for two hours, we were ready to tackle challenges again.
As a physician, I have prescribed laughter to my patients. We take ourselves too seriously. We take life with its ups and downs too seriously. We often cling to situations and circumstances that we can do nothing to change as if they are a lifeline. It is wise to remind ourselves that we have to let go of the worries that are not ours; it is possible to provide compassion and service without being consumed and smothered.
Humor has clear therapeutic benefits. Laughing helps the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces the hormones related to stress, increases muscle flexibility. It signals the body to release endorphins, which decrease pain, and it creates a general sense of well-being. We just feel better after a good laugh!
Doctors Lee Birk and Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University report that laughter increases levels of T-cells, which fight infection; Gamma-interferon, which are proteins that fight disease, and B-cells, which produce antibodies that fight disease.
We all have our favorite memories of laughter. Right after my mission to Mexico many years ago, Cristie and I went on a date and watched the movie What’s Up Doc, a hilarious slapstick comedy. It probably isn’t easy to rent a copy to watch nowadays (although you can buy it at Amazon.com), but our children have seen it and the humor is still present a generation later.
When the Reader’s Digest comes in the mail, we look for the humorous stories that people send in. The column, “Laughter: the Best Medicine,” is a favorite of ours.
Members of the media have recently featured a book and movie entitled, The Secret. Although the movie itself does not have a lot of humor in it, it discusses the role humor played in the healing of a woman, Cathy Morrison, who had breast cancer. Cathy did two things: she repeatedly expressed gratitude for her healing, and she watched old comedy shows (like “I Love Lucy,” the Marx Brothers, and Carol Burnett). She did not allow herself to focus on negative thoughts. Within a few months the cancer disappeared.
It is interesting to note that Cathy’s decision to seek healing involved actively recognizing her blessings and expressing gratitude for them, as well as stimulating her body’s healing processes with laughter.
Many of you may remember watching the movie Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams. The movie did an admirable job of demonstrating how humor can actually help people to feel better. Dr. Adams’ unusual methods opened up many closed minds in the professional medical world; as a result, more physicians are excited about the healing connection between the body and the mind.
All of us have challenges to face, gray skies, unforgiving friends, rude salespeople and members of the Church. We have illness, we experience discouragement, and we even face the death of loved ones. If we haven’t already dealt with these experiences, we will, for trials and suffering are part of earth life.
But on the other hand, life can and should be full of joy! If we focus on what is right that is happening in our lives, we can see through the challenges staring us in the face, past to a brighter future and a clearer perspective. Testimony meetings should be filled with expressions of gratitude and joy.
As I write this, I’d like to include a prescription for you. If it’s cold, bundle up. Go outside and walk, and focus your thoughts exclusively on the things, people, and experiences for which you are grateful. Let your mind wander over the blessing it is to breathe, to move your fingers, to see the eyes of a small child, to hear laughter or the calls of a bird.
Allow yourself to relish the breeze on your face, to bask in the sunlight, to reflect upon things that make you smile, to laugh. Let your heart be full of love and gratitude to a generous Heavenly Father who made it possible for you to be here on this earth, at this time, for a special purpose.
If you’re feeling down, rent a genuinely funny movie and watch it. Allow yourself to laugh. Guaranteed, you’ll feel a lot better!
