Although there may be family members who go to visit the elderly staying in the nursing home, loneliness is felt a lot and it may happen that some guests let themselves go, thanks to the absence of frequent visits or feeling isolated despite the presence of other elderly people. There are very few opportunities to laugh or smile. In this depressive state, physical debilitation is behind the door. Unconditional laughter can offer them a valuable tool for socialization and connection with others. In this case, laughter is truly the best medicine to exorcise isolation, stress and loneliness, because laughter produces positive thoughts and eases negative tensions. In addition, laughter helps control blood pressure and bad cholesterol, as well as promoting good heart function.
Retirement
A stressor for the elderly is represented by the feeling of “being useless” after a life of work or dedicated to raising children and grandchildren. The resulting frustration can be very harmful to one’s health: laughing together with a group helps to overcome insecurity and contributes to increasing self-esteem.
No Strings Attached
Laughing and playing with a group is very important for those who suffer from lack of human contact. Many feel the need to share their emotions: unconditional laughter helps to feel part of, facilitates the sense of belonging to a group and the bond that is created with the people with whom you laugh together is very strong, generating feelings of closeness and fraternity.
Lack of mobility
Physical immobility damages limbs and muscles. By stimulating laughter, the production of endorphins is increased, and this relieves the feeling of pain. Diaphragmatic movements increase lung capacity and give a real massage to the internal organs. The cardiovascular system also gets its benefits from stimulating laughter, such as light aerobic exercise. So, this practice is beneficial both to those suffering from loneliness and to those who are immobilized in a wheelchair or in bed.
Decrease in intellectual faculties
With advancing age, one can fall into senile dementia or contract Alzheimer’s disease. Actions that were previously easy to perform, with the onset of illness, are no longer so. And humour cannot bridge the gap because the jokes are not understood. So, laughing unconditionally can be a valid help because you laugh with the body more than with the mind. And then you find a way to cheat the disease and get the benefits provided by the practice at all levels because you don’t need any mental skills.
Ageless Laughter: Smiling is the true fountain of youth!
