Orlando, Florida, March 7, 2005 [JP] - “Read two joe-ks and call me in the morning,” may seem like an unusual prescription, but a new study shows that laughter may be good medicine for the heart. American researchers report that daily laughter helps to prevent heart disease because it makes blood vessels work more efficiently.

Researcher Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, used a group of 20 healthy men and women to watch two movies at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum and then measured the movies' effects on their blood vessels via ultrasound. He found that watching a funny movie (i.e. King Pin) had a healthy effect on blood vessel function, allowing them to expand and contract more effectively in response to changes in blood flow. But watching a mentally stressful movie (i.e. Saving Private Ryan) had the opposite effect, causing the lining of the blood vessels (the endothelium), to narrow and restrict blood flow.

Blood flow was reduced in 14 of the 20 volunteers after watching the movie clips that caused mental stress. But beneficial blood vessel effects and relaxation were found in 19 of the 20 volunteers after watching the funny movie. On average, artery diameter increased by 22% during laughter and decreased by 35% during mental stress.

“The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so, given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” stated Dr. Miller as he presented the results of his study at the Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Florida. “At the very least, laughter offsets the impact of mental stress, which is harmful to the endothelium.”

The magnitude of the change? Laughter has many of the same benefits as aerobic exercise, but without the aches and pains. Miller doesn’t recommend laughing without exercise, but he does recommend laughing on a regular basis. “Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system.”

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