Columbus Laughs Day was a fun success. Many joined for our morning Zoom Webinar and we had several join us in person for the afternoon Facebook Live event! Jerry “Pop” Barnes stopped by, laughing exercises were done and prizes were handed out. Donations were also made to Food Bags for the Elderly and New Horizons Behavioral Health/Tree of Life Healthcare.

The study of laughter dates back to the ancient Greeks – approximately 385 B.C. Laughter scientists, such as Aristotle studied the psychological and physiological benefits of laughter on the aging body. In more recent times, Sigmund Freud set to revolutionize the way laughter is used, eyeing the exercise as a medical intervention. In the 1990s, Dr. Madan Kataria began gathering groups of people together to tell jokes as a way to escape the stress and overpopulation in India. These informal social gatherings were later called laughing clubs. Today, laughing clubs are practiced in more than 65 countries worldwide. Dr. Jonathan L. Liss, Columbus Laughs Day Founder, breaks down the science behind laughter’s euphoric benefits.

Experience Laughter Therapy

Laughter therapy uses the physical mechanics of laughing to activate the reward center of the brain and suppresses the brain’s pain centers. Easy to learn activities such as clapping, deep breathing and chanting help activate the reward center of the brain and suppresses the brain’s pain center.

Columbus Memory Center founder, Dr. Jonathan L. Liss, hosts a guided laughter therapy exercises patterned after popular laughter therapy techniques. In under 10 minutes, this alternative therapy has the potential to improve your mood and outlook.

Reduced stress, depression and anxiety can boost the overall health and wellness of seniors 60 and above. Research shows routine laughter therapy results in decreases in stress hormone levels and an increase in quality of life for these groups.

Additional benefits of laughter include, but are not limited to:

• Elevated moods
• Improved pain control
• Increased productivity
• Increased blood/oxygen circulation
• Improved social interaction
• Reduced blood pressure
• Boosted immunity