Funny Farm Laughter Club

12/13/2024

The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Working Memory: A Pilot Study
Date: December 03, 2024
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The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Working Memory: A Pilot Study
Researchers and Affiliations:

Md. Shahinoor Rahman: University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Farida Binte Wali: Government City College, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
The study was published in the European Journal of Humour Research.

When and Where:

Conducted in Bangladesh, involving undergraduate students. The specific timeline of the intervention lasted for 4 weeks, with two sessions per week.

Purpose and Objectives:

The study aimed to determine if laughter yoga, which uses simulated laughter without relying on humor or jokes, could enhance working memory (WM) in healthy young adults.

Hypotheses:
Laughter yoga would significantly improve visual-spatial working memory (tested via the Corsi Block Test).

Laughter yoga would significantly improve verbal working memory (tested via the Digit Span Test).

What is Laughter Yoga?

Laughter yoga involves simulated laughter, which is self-induced and does not depend on external stimuli like jokes or comedy. It typically follows a structured sequence of:

Clapping rhythms (e.g., "ho ho, ha ha ha").
Deep breathing exercises.
Simulated laughter exercises such as:
Greeting laughter (pretending to greet someone warmly while laughing).
Telephone laughter (pretending to talk on a phone while laughing).
Lion laughter, hot soup laughter, and more.
Participants:
Total Participants: 30 undergraduate students.
10 males and 20 females, with an average age of 20.57 years.
Selection Criteria: Participants were
Randomly divided into two groups:
Experimental Group: 15 participants who underwent laughter yoga sessions.
Control Group: 15 participants who received no intervention.

Tests Used to Measure Working Memory:

Corsi Block Test (CBT):
Measures visual-spatial memory by asking participants to recall the order of lit-up squares on a screen.

Digit Span Test:
Measures verbal working memory by asking participants to recall a sequence of numbers in the correct order.

Study Design:
Pre-test and Post-test Design:
All participants were tested before and after the 4-week intervention.

Laughter Yoga Sessions:

Conducted twice weekly, each session lasting 30 minutes.

Sessions followed a consistent structure:
1. Initial clapping and chanting ("ho, ho, ha-ha-ha").
2. Deep breathing exercises.
3. 15 minutes of guided laughter exercises.
4. Final relaxation and breathing.
The control group did not participate in any intervention during this time.

Results:
Visual Working Memory (CBT Scores):

Experimental Group: Significant improvement from 4.83 (pre-test) to 5.43 (post-test).

Control Group: No significant change (pre-test: 4.93, post-test: 5.40).

Verbal Working Memory (Digit Span Scores):

Experimental Group: Significant improvement from 6.33 (pre-test) to 7.60 (post-test).

Control Group: No significant change (pre-test: 6.87, post-test: 6.93).

Key Findings:

Laughter Yoga Improved Working Memory:

Both visual-spatial and verbal memory improved significantly in the experimental group compared to the control group.

No similar improvement was observed in the control group.

Positive Emotions and Cardiovascular Activity:

Laughter yoga likely improved memory through the positive emotions it generated, which are known to enhance cognitive functions.

Simulated laughter mimics the cardiovascular effects of exercise (increased heart rate), which may further enhance memory.

Why is This Important?

Working memory is crucial for everyday tasks, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Laughter yoga can serve as a non-invasive, fun, and effective tool to improve cognitive abilities in students and adults.

It may help populations struggling with memory challenges, such as older adults or students under academic stress.

Conclusions:

Laughter yoga was effective in improving both verbal and visual-spatial working memory in healthy young adults.

The findings highlight the potential of laughter yoga as a memory-enhancing intervention for students or others needing cognitive support.

12/13/2024

https://tinyurl.com/yn94w3mf

11/02/2024

Planning a 6 week Laughter Yoga Series at Perfect Christmas Tree Farm's YOUR LAUGH CLUB, culminating with a Christmas Birthday Party at the farm. It is totally free. May pitch for donations to New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger instead of presents. Any one interested?

Register here: https://www.laughteryoga.org/online-certified-leader-training/Unlock the transformative power of Laughter Yoga, a holistic approach to wellnes...

07/25/2024

06/26/2024

Laughter Yoga - A Boon For People With Special Needs

An educator, in England becomes a Laughter Yoga Leader. She found the training difficult but completed the 2 days of training, believing it would make her a better teacher.
Six months later she is still practicing Laughter Yoga and she loses her job. She starts her own business. She is an entrepreneur! She says, about her experience with Laughter Yoga, “…it has helped me to cope through a very trying time in my life whilst improving my self-confidence; in turn helping me meet the many and varied problems I’ve faced with positivity which has allowed solutions to present themselves, not magically, but with hard work, a drive and belief in my own ability.“
The mother of a child with complex and severe special needs asks her to laugh with her daughter. The daughter was born without a corpus collosum, the fibres that connect the two hemispheres of the brain, and other serious health issues.
The educator runs Laughter Yoga sessions for the daughter, other family members and a personal care team, including a speech therapist. They all join in the Laughter Yoga practice and participate fully. The teacher discovers the child can laugh and more, can express a range of emotional responses.
With weekly sessions, in time, the daughter is opening up. She laughs out loud and joins in the rhythmic clapping chant, Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha. She was non-verbal and now she says words. There is also an increase in eye contact and much more.
To read the full article:

Laughter Yoga - A Boon For People With Special Needs

06/19/2024

Leading Laughter Yoga at the Health and Wellness event a PHS. Thanks to all the young people who laughed with me.

06/19/2024

Now, and until September, we meet at Perfect Christmas Tree Farm EVERY Monday at 7:30 PM to share laughter.
Add a little more laughter to your life with this exercise routine that combines breath yoga and laughter. Please let me know you are coming.
www.yourlaughclub.com

06/05/2024

Someone opened a page using my picture and my name and i think they also have my friends-list. Do not friend anyone claiming to be me. If you have a question, message me. I changed my picture on my page and reported it to facebook, as best I know how. Any suggestions of what to do next?

05/08/2024

😍Think he might see love in laughter?Laughing without jokes or humor well... not so much for my husband. He participates in almost every Laughter Yoga event I do and I've been a leader/teacher for 12 years. He likes Laughter Yoga to meet people, because it's interesting and fun, maybe because it's healthy, but not so much to laugh.

As Sarah Kendall and Gene Furbee look back on their enduring love story, they can’t help but laugh.

05/02/2024

Laughter need not be cut out of anything, since it improves everything. ~James Thurber
Cynthia Curtis, Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher, explains how to use your breath and laughter to make yourself healthier, happier, and more resilient.
Cynthia is set up in the Auxiliary gym, which is the wrestling room. 👀Look for the red balloons🎈🎈🎈

04/06/2024

5 Reasons To Use Laughter To Heal
Laughter is often dubbed ‘the best medicine.’ It is not an 'old wives’ tale but a scientifically supported fact. This article underscores the many ways in which laughter can heal and invigorate our bodies. This article delves into reasons why incorporating more laughter into life can be a transformative health strategy. Using our ability to laugh on purpose, without jokes or humor, we harness the physiological, psychological, mental, and social benefits of laughter, anytime we need to.
Introduction
In today’s world, where stress and anxiety loom large, finding moments of joy and laughter can seem like a luxury. However, the science behind laughter and its effects on the body paints a compelling picture to incorporate laughter into your daily routine. The benefits of laughter are significant.
Laughter exercises the heart and lungs. It strengthens muscles, burns calories, reduces stress, and improves mental health.
This article explores five fundamental reasons why laughter is not just beneficial but essential. There is a compelling case to laugh on purpose, to join a Laughter Club, and to prioritize moments of joy in our daily lives.
1. Boosts the Immune System
One of the most remarkable benefits of laughter is its ability to strengthen the immune system. When we laugh, our body produces chemicals, nutrients, and infection-fighting antibodies. Laughter activates the release of neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses. This means that laughing for exercise helps keep you healthy.
2. Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Laughter decreases stress hormones while triggering the release of Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin and Endorphins, the body's feel-good chemicals. This biological process highlights laughter’s importance in alleviating stress and contributing to long-term psychological resilience.
3. Improves Cardiac Health
Laughter Yoga is a mild cardio workout. It gets your heart pumping and burns a similar amount of calories per hour as walking at a slow to moderate pace. By increasing blood flow and improving the function of blood vessels, laughter can help protect against heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.
4. Enhances Respiration and Reduces Pain
Laughter empties your lungs of air. By breathing deeply and mindfully, we bring more oxygen into our bodies benefiting every cell. Furthermore, laughter has been shown to reduce pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
5. Strengthens Social Bonds
Laughter is the universal language of friendship. It fosters social connection and strengthens relationships. Sharing a laugh with someone reduces feelings of isolation and loneliness. By promoting group bonding and reducing social stress, laughter can enhance our relationships and indirectly improve our health by providing a supportive social network. It can bring peace.
Making Laughter Part of Your Healing Journey
Incorporating more laughter into your life can be a simple, enjoyable, and effective way to enhance your health. Laugh on purpose for 10-20 minutes a day using Laughter Yoga YouTube videos or join a laughter club. Spend time with people who bring you joy and laughter. There are numerous ways to make laughter a regular part of your healing journey.
Conclusion
Laughter has the profound ability to heal and rejuvenate our body and spirit. It is always available to use, and it's free. From boosting our immune system and reducing stress to improving heart health and fostering social connections, the benefits of laughter are both significant and far-reaching. As we navigate the challenges of life, make a conscious effort to incorporate more laughter into your daily routines. It is a simple yet powerful tool to promote health, happiness, and world peace.

03/15/2024

Say yes to try Laughter Yoga. Burn calories, exercise your internal organs, and share a laugh with like-minded people. Laugh for health, happiness, and world peace.

03/08/2024

Discover the power of laughter to relieve stress and promote health, happiness and world peace. These mild aerobic exercises increase circulation, boost heart and lung health, strengthen pelvic muscles, and laughing with others beats loneliness.
Everyone can laugh on purpose. Will you?

01/23/2024

Try Laughter Yoga at Perfect Christmas Tree Farm in Phillipsburg NJ every Sat. at 5 PM.

California Live contributor Blanche Shaheen meets up with the 2023 world laughing champion to learn why laughing is so good for you and how laughter yoga could brighten your day.