The Importance Of Laughter And Fun In Mental Health

Introduction

Laughter is a powerful medicine for kids that triggers healthy emotional and physical changes in them. It helps strengthen immunity, lower stress, and diminish pain. Fun and humor lightens emotional burdens, inspires hope, increases awareness, and keeps kids grounded.

However, fewer and fewer kids laugh as open-heartedly as they did before. Earlier generations were not as stressed as kids nowadays. Multiple environmental, academic, and factors contribute to this. As a result, even a joke elicits little more than a chuckle from them. But this needs to change now.

Kids cannot continue to be deprived of the many health benefits of laughter. They need to be exposed to this tremendous resource to solve problems, enhance their relationships, and find innocent joy. It is time to explain the benefits of laughter and fun to kids and help them make the best use of it.

Role Of Laughter And Fun In Mental Health Of Kids

1. Boosts Immunity

Laughter is responsible for lowering levels of stress hormones and increasing the production of antibodies and immune cells in your child’s body. Engaging in free-spirited laughter can also enhance your child's mental barriers and help prevent mental illnesses in them. Therefore, it is ideal for engaging in jolly activities and fun conversations with your child to encourage laughter and humor in their lives.

2. Improves Heart

Humor and laughter maintain blood vessels and improve their functioning. It also increases blood flow and promotes heart health, keeping cardiovascular diseases and complications at bay. Try to guide your kids to enjoy their leisure mindfully and have fun, instead of being buried to their noses in technology and smart devices.

3. Burns Calories

Fear not if your child does not get enough movement or activity. While laughter can never replace physical activity and exercise, it can burn around 40 calories for every 10 to 15 minutes spent laughing. Mathematically, this can help lose up to 2 kilograms of body weight a year, a cool bonus for being humorous and happy regularly.

4. Relieves Stress

Engaging in good hearty laughter helps relieve stress by lowering cortisol levels and enhancing the secretion of mood-enhancing chemicals like oxytocin and serotonin. Laughter also helps keep stress and anxiety at bay and center focus on the present joyous moment. So try to engage in fun indoor games like UNO or Twister from time to time to get the laughing juices flowing.

5. Relaxes Muscles

Laughter helps kids ease their muscles and unwind after having a tough day. It relieves physical tension and stress in muscles, leaving them relaxed for up to 45 minutes. Laughing also has a mindfulness effect on kids, promoting relaxation and solace in them. You can also turn it into a daily mindfulness exercise. Simply ask them to close their eyes and visualize happy situations, like a lost puppy returning home. As they start relaxing, lighten the atmosphere by cracking some jokes while their eyes are shut. It will automatically make them laugh while their muscles forget any stress they have experienced.

6. Decreases Chronic Pain

Multiple studies have highlighted laughter’s role in easing chronic pain. A Norwegian study found that people with a strong sense of humor outlived those who do not laugh much. This was especially notable in those who were battling cancer. Author of As Anatomy Of An Illness, Norman Cousins, had once been bedridden due to ankylosing spondylitis. He began improving after he took matters into his own hands and used laughter as a treatment.

7. Strengthens Relationships

Laughter helps improve and strengthen relationships. Children who laugh and employ humor in daily life are more likely to make lasting friendships and memories than others. Therefore, it is ideal to maintain an atmosphere of fun and laughter at home to improve your child’s mental health and strengthen their social skills.

8. Enhances Mood

Laughing ensures your kid’s body is full of happy hormones while their stress levels and anxiety are minimal. This helps focus and enjoy the present without worrying about future problems. Life may feel particularly tough on a day but teach your kids that while laughter may not solve the problem, it will help them form a growth mindset and persevere.

Conclusion

Laughter and humor have been an important part of humankind since the advent of civilization. It not only helps kids handle difficult emotions, circumstances, and situations but also creates psychological distance. As a result, they can look at their problems from a different perspective and tackle them better. Laughter may not be a prescriptive medicine, but it does help keep multiple mental and physical health problems at bay. And most importantly, it ensures your kids remain happy and healthy. Then what are you waiting for? It is time to explain the benefits of laughter to kids, help them reap its benefits, and join them in the process.

Sources:

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/laughter-good-for-you/