The connection between your immune system and laughter is not humerus (that’s your arm bone), it’s humorous (that’s funny). But — just to be anatomically correct — a humorous humerus is simply your funny bone.

Aaaaand moving on.

You know that laughter and good humor create the neurochemical daiquiri in your brain that leads to lower stress, anxiety, and depression. It’s also clear that it increases the happy chemicals, and lowers the stress hormones like cortisol for the double win-win.

But the immune system is an entirely different animal. And to be honest, it’s not clear at all why laughter and humor boost immune function at all. The research here is sadly incomplete.

We know what happens, just not yet how.

Science-to-English Dictionary

Your immune system fights off infections, and generally helps keep you from getting sick.

Laughter increases the number of those infection fighters (T-cells, for example), as one part of the immune system response (the research: read this if you have insomnia). There are other ways laughter may help — these things called “Natural Killer” cells, that sounds like they’re a part of a Woody Harrelson movie.

Some studies say they are boosted by laughter, but more needs to be done to confirm it.

This research (full article: for when you run out of things to do in your day) reviews all available data, as of its printing, on the link between laughter and immune cells.

To save you the trouble of wading through it all, the bottom line is that the central idea is totally valid: laughter improves immune function, making you happier AND healthier in the process.

Okay, admit it.

Who else gives you cross-over puns that span the anatomical AND immune systems? If you laughed at all, you should now have a far more buff immune system to fight off whatever assails you when you wade out into public, attend PTA in an elementary school, or hover over the facilities at the airport.

You’re welcome. And SHARE this idea 🙂