Interest in Laughter Therapy Benefits Intensifies in the Sixties.
The first scientist who proposed the smile as a study was Dr. William F.Fry, a professor of Psychology at Stanford University, California. He was also the first to research on the field and to define himself Gelotologo (expert in laughter science).
He published a series of studies on physiological processes that arouse during laughter, demonstrating that deep laughter is a physical exercise that strengthens the immune system, decreases the likelihood of respiratory tract infection, naturally produces endorphins, true opiates natural.
Dr. Lee S. Berk, immunologist at Loma Linda University’s School of Allied Health and Medicine, studied the effects of intense laughter in hormone regulation since 1980. Berk and colleagues discovered that laughter helps the brain in regulating cortisol and ‘Epinephrine, stress hormones.
They also discovered the link between the laughter and the production of antibodies and endorphins, natural opiate. Even the mere expectation that something fun can happen is enough to unleash the positive effects of laughter.
Dr. Mickael Miller, Director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, demonstrated that laughter is linked to the good functioning of blood vessels. Her studies found that laughter increases the volume of endothelial cells. This allows the increase in blood flow. Instead stress has the opposite effect, leading to a constriction of the bloodstream.
Dr. Ramon Mora-Ripoll, an expert in spanish health, developed his interest in the benefits of laughter after studying the impact that laughter had on people. He made various publications, including about the impact of laughter.
Dr. Hunt (Patch) Adams revolutionized how to treat disease in the hospital. The main idea is that “healing should be a human exchange of love, not a commercial transaction”. Founder and Director of the Gesundheit Institute, a holistic medicine community that provides free care to thousands of patients since 1971.
Dr. Madan Kataria is an Indian physician who in 1995 in Mumbai, India, was writing an article titled “Laughing: The Best Medicine” for a health-related newspaper. He went on researching scientific studies devoted to the benefits of laughter, and with his tremendous amazement I find many. Specifically, he was hit by Norman Cousins’ book Anatomy of a Disease and Dr. Berk’s research work. He immediately decided to experiment and deepen the impact of laughter on himself and on others.