Episode 572: Behind The Science of Therapeutic Laughter

What if laughing every day is less of a personality trait and more of a health strategy? We spend so much time chasing the perfect wellness routine. The supplements, the trackers, the saunas, the cold plunges, the red light, the protocols. And yet one of the simplest tools for changing your brain, your mood, your stress, and your body is something most of us are not doing enough: laughing. Laughter releases endorphins, helps lower stress hormones like cortisol, supports immune function, and can shift your emotional state fast. A real laugh can pull you out of a bad mood, break tension, make you feel more connected to people, and remind your nervous system that everything is not as serious as your brain is making it. In this episode of Habits and Hustle, I share the science of laughter, why humor may be one of the most underrated health tools we have, how laughing affects stress and immunity, and why five minutes of comedy might be one of the easiest daily habits to add to your life. What's Discussed: (00:41) Why laughter affects the brain, mood, and overall physical and mental health. (01:18) How research connects laughter to neuroplasticity, emotional wellbeing, and laughter-based therapies. (02:08) Why five minutes of comedy can shift a bad mood fast. (02:40) How laughing yoga works and why forced laughter can become real laughter. (03:29) How laughter releases endorphins and helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol. (03:49) Why laughter may support immune function, antibodies, and natural killer cell activity. (05:58) Why laughter is a universal language and one of the fastest ways to bond with people. (06:45) Why laughter may be one of the most underrated free health tools. (07:49) Why walking and laughter are two of the simplest ways to improve your mood and health. (08:15) How humor can become a powerful coping mechanism during hard seasons. (15:05) Why finding five minutes to laugh every day can support your physical and mental health. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Magic Mind: Head over to magicmind.com/jen http://www.magicmind.com/jen and use code JEN at checkout. Pique: Go to piquelife.com/jenniferrsd https://piquelife.com/jenniferrsd to get 20% off for life plus free gifts Momentous: Ready to try supplements that actually do what they claim? Head to livemomentous.com http://livemomentous.com and use code JEN for 35% off your first subscription. Therasage: Visit therasage.com http://therasage.com and use code JEN to get 15% off your order. Your skin Prolon: Prolon is offering listeners 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift. Find more from Jen Cohen: Website: jennifercohen.com https://jennifercohen.com Instagram: @therealjencohen http://instagram.com/therealjencohen Books: jennifercohen.com/books https://jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements https://jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

• 0:01Speaker 00

  Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.

• 0:07Speaker 01

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• 2:03Speaker 01

  Hello, and welcome back to Habits and Hustle Solo Edition, where we talk and explore a variety of different topics that are in the zeitgeist, that have interest to me and to hopefully you guys as well. And today's topic is the science of laughter. Why we laugh, and how it affects our brains and our physical and mental health. I don't know about you, Shawnee, but I'm like a huge fan of comedy, of laughing. It's like literally my favorite thing in the world to do.

• 2:35Speaker 02

  I love a good laugh. I love a belly laugh.

• 2:37Speaker 01

  Right?

• 2:37Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 2:38Speaker 01

  And there's a, I think there is a reason why they say like laughter is the best medicine, because it really, like it really is. I mean, like, nothing changes a mood or changes your emotional state better than like a good hearty laugh.

• 2:53Speaker 02

  Absolutely.

• 2:54Speaker 01

  Right?

• 2:54Speaker 02

  Oh my god, yeah.

• 2:55Speaker 01

  I just love it. So that's why I love stand-up. So let's go into this a little bit more. You know, like, there is a lot of research backing how laughter really does like change, not just the neuroplasticity in our brains, but our overall physical and emotional well-being. That's why there's like laughter therapy. There's like laughing yoga, or whatever they call it.

• 3:17Speaker 02

  Yeah, laughing yoga.

• 3:18Speaker 01

  Laughing yoga.

• 3:18Speaker 02

  It's my favorite thing.

• 3:19Speaker 01

  Have you actually done it?

• 3:20Speaker 02

  Yeah, I can't believe you've never done it. It's like so much fun.

• 3:22Speaker 01

  Yeah, I've never done laughing yoga.

• 3:24Speaker 02

  So much fun.

• 3:25Speaker 01

  I just like going, that's why, like, you know, I'm like hugely obsessed with stand-up comedians and like watching stand-up. I can do that every single night of the week. It's just, to me, I just love it.

• 3:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, good comedians are great.

• 3:36Speaker 01

  Comedians, like, you know, I've, every night I fall asleep to like watching some kind of Netflix comedy special.

• 3:41Speaker 02

  But even the recent ones?

• 3:43Speaker 01

  Listen, the recent ones haven't been so great, I gotta be honest with you. But like, it automatically changes my, if I'm like in a shitty mood, a sad mood, an angry mood, watching five minutes of comedy just shifts everything.

• 3:57Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 3:57Speaker 01

  So this is why I think this is like a really good topic to really get into, because there's, like, they can say gratitude, they could say meditation, they can say every other thing helps you with your mental health and like well-being. I believe laughter is number one.

• 4:16Speaker 02

  Well, laughing yoga is so interesting, because it's not actual, like, you're not laughing because you're watching like a really hilarious stand-up bit. You're, it's a forced laughter at first. You're all like, I did this on the beach in Laguna Beach, like, my whole family was there on vacation, and this circle of what looked like a cult just pulled us into their little laughing circle. And you just laugh. And instinctually, like, once everyone else starts laughing, you start laughing, and then everyone's just laughing a lot, and then you're just like laughing non-stop. And then it's just this crazy like bout of laughter that is just so uncontrollable. And it's so, it's one of my favorite things. It's so much fun.

• 4:48Speaker 01

  You know, it reminds me of like yawning, you know, like when someone else starts, if someone starts to laugh?

• 4:52Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 4:53Speaker 01

  I end up laughing because they're laughing, and then I can't control my laughter, and it goes back and forth. And it's like usually the best belly laugh, the best uncontrollable laugh is like the best feeling ever.

• 5:04Speaker 02

  Hundred percent.

• 5:04Speaker 01

  Right? And this is what they say. So it actually does reduce stress hormones when we laugh. Our bodies release endorphins, which are natural chemicals that make us feel good. These endorphins can help reduce the levels of stress in our bodies, such as cortisol, which is like obviously the stress hormone, that which has negative effects on our immune system. It also increases our immune system function. So laughter has been shown to increase the production of immune cells and antibodies, which help fight infections and illness. It also increases the activity of natural killer cells, which are white blood cells, that it can attack cancer cells and viruses.

• 5:39Speaker 02

  That's so interesting.

• 5:40Speaker 01

  So there's a lot of like, and that's what I'm saying, there's like a lot of like backed science, what laughter does to our bodies in a positive way, physically and mentally.

• 5:50Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, cortisol is like my arch nemesis. So anything to-

• 5:54Speaker 01

  By the way, it's everybody's arch nemesis.

• 5:56Speaker 02

  It's my frickin' arch nemesis.

• 5:57Speaker 01

  It's everybody's. I mean, who likes cortisol? Like, I don't, I kind of, you know what I mean? It's not something that people are like, oh, I love having my stress hormone, you know.

• 6:07Speaker 02

  If there was like a villain in my life, like in my story arc, my existence, like cortisol would be like the villain, like the ultimate villain. Like, he would just be like the Mufasa or whatever of like my, my story.

• 6:17Speaker 01

  I think it's everybody's. I really believe that. So we talked about like the power of humor, laughter therapy. What are the other types of forms of therapy besides yoga?

• 6:26Speaker 02

  Art therapy?

• 6:26Speaker 01

  That people could, no, like in laughter. Like, there's like a lot of ways that you can use laughter to like help your physical and mental conditions. I mean, it also helps with chronic pain, because I guess you're forgetting about the pain that you have because you're focusing on like your-

• 6:41Speaker 02

  That's true.

• 6:42Speaker 01

  Your endorphins are also, I guess your endorphins are releasing, and you're just like distracted.

• 6:47Speaker 02

  Do you talk about microdosing on this podcast at all? Is that allowed?

• 6:51Speaker 01

  We've never talked about it.

• 6:52Speaker 02

  Because mushrooms will make you laugh like crazy, and that can be like a really good form of therapy.

• 6:57Speaker 01

  But, you know, that's a whole other topic and a whole other podcast, but any type of psychedelic can have different effects on different people.

• 7:03Speaker 02

  Sure.

• 7:04Speaker 01

  So like, it can make you laugh, but a lot of people I know have had like horrible things where they've cried the whole time, you know, or they've had anxiety the whole time.

• 7:12Speaker 02

  That's quite sad.

• 7:12Speaker 01

  It's not just laughing, right? It's like, maybe that's been your experience, or maybe if you microdose, you can get a different thing.

• 7:18Speaker 02

  Well, microdosing is not going to give you any impact. It's not gonna, it's a like, it's a long-term like thing. It's not something that gives you like a high.

• 7:25Speaker 01

  And also, I would say that laughter is like a universal language, right? Like-

• 7:30Speaker 02

  That's very true.

• 7:31Speaker 01

  Everybody likes to laugh. And if you're laughing, I mean, it's a great, it's a great bonding thing for people, like for personal bonding. Like, you know, if you're laughing and I'm laughing, right away, we're like bonded, because we had to share an experience that was so positive and happy and fun.

• 7:49Speaker 02

  What's that Mean Girls quote? It's like math is the same in every language? Like laughing is the same in every language? It really is.

• 7:55Speaker 01

  It is. Laughing is the same.

• 7:56Speaker 02

  Literally the same.

• 7:57Speaker 01

  There's no language. It's just ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, you know, like-

• 8:00Speaker 02

  Unless you're typing in Spanish, it's ja, ja, ja, ja, ja, because they, J is ha, so it's ha, ha, ha.

• 8:04Speaker 01

  Oh, really?

• 8:05Speaker 02

  Yeah, it's so funny. If I'm talking to my Spanish friends, I go ja, ja, ja.

• 8:08Speaker 01

  Yeah, that's amazing. That's actually true. But I think it's like a universal language, right? And it's like, it's bonding, it releases tension. I mean, there's so much, like, I think that we should, people should explore the science of laughter as truly like, like, it's free medicine, literally free medicine. Just as they would say, like, we talk so much on this podcast about all these ways to like optimize your health and your life, right? Like from, you know, the saunas, to the cold plunges, to, to all sorts of like red light therapy, like all sorts of different modalities. I said earlier, gratitude, journaling, all these things. But like, at the end of the day, if you can just have a good laugh, or like you, and like laugh for like five minutes a day, so many of these

• 8:53Speaker 01

  like negative things that like are keeping you held back or down, or, you know, so much of it just goes away if you can just find, find something to laugh about.

• 9:03Speaker 02

  Hundred percent.

• 9:04Speaker 01

  Right? I think it should be the number one health modality, and it's free. It should be up there with walking. I think walking and laughter are the two best and biggest ways to change your mood and to elevate your health, to me. Those are the two, and they're free. Anybody can do it. Everybody can do it. And you don't need to have anything but yourself. You can laugh at yourself if you want. You know what I mean?

• 9:31Speaker 02

  I do it every day.

• 9:32Speaker 01

  And I do it every day. Exactly.

• 9:34Speaker 02

  Free 99.

• 9:34Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:35Speaker 02

  It's so, it's so interesting, because laughing is also, like, when they say humor as a coping mechanism for kids who go through a lot when they're younger, and they just become really funny in the end. Like, it's, it's, it's interesting-

• 9:46Speaker 01

  It's a great coping mechanism.

• 9:47Speaker 02

  Because it's literally like one of the best coping mechanisms, and it makes so much sense that some people would naturally go that route because of what it does to your body physically.

• 9:55Speaker 01

  So I also believe it's the best way to kind of, like, a lot of like the world's, like, people, like, political problems, everything, like, it's like, if you can like find humor in certain things that are like terrible, it's a great way to cope with anything, right?

• 10:10Speaker 02

  Absolutely.

• 10:10Speaker 01

  Like, it's this, I just think it should be up there between that and walking. I'm not joking. Are the two, in my opinion- Those are the two best ways to impact and increase your health in a positive way.

• 10:24Speaker 02

  What are your, who are your favorite comedians to watch?

• 10:25Speaker 01

  Oh, my gosh. Now, now you're talking my language. I'm, I used to be obsessed with Sebastian Maniscalco. Do you know who he is?

• 10:33Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 10:33Speaker 01

  Italian guy.

• 10:34Speaker 02

  Sounds familiar.

• 10:35Speaker 01

  He used to be hilarious. And then like as he got more, like now he's so successful. He's like one of the biggest standups of all time. He can like sell out the Madison Square Garden for like three nights in a row. He like lost a little bit of his edge, in my opinion.

• 10:49Speaker 02

  That happens.

• 10:49Speaker 01

  Right, cuz like now, like his perspective, like, you know, when you're down and, and, and when you're in the trenches and like, if you find, you know what I mean? Like, you're funny as hell. But as like you're now, you're living a bougie life, it's not so funny about his kids in private school or like his life is very different.

• 11:06Speaker 02

  His kids in private school.

• 11:07Speaker 01

  Well, like that's, his last special just wasn't that funny to me. Sorry, Sebastian, I still like you, but I'm obsessed. My favorite of all time is Chris Rock.

• 11:16Speaker 02

  Really?

• 11:16Speaker 01

  Chris Rock to me, never lost his edge. He was hilarious 20 years ago. He still is hilarious. Every special I've seen on him, he's brilliant. He's so smart. He has, his perspective, his thought process, his delivery, his voice. He to me is the, bar none, the best standup comedian of all time. Second closest is Bill Burr. I love Bill Burr. So you got Chris Rock, you got Bill Burr. I do like Sebastian, but not as much as those guys. I mean, people love Dave Chappelle. I think it's good, but not.

• 11:52Speaker 02

  I think he's lost his, his last couple of specials, I just wasn't really, I don't know. They're just, like, I wasn't getting like a belly laugh out of them. Do you know what I mean? I need like real, it's nice when it's thought provoking too. Don't get me wrong, I like that, but I'm not, I don't really care. I don't really wanna think.

• 12:09Speaker 01

  You wanna laugh.

• 12:09Speaker 02

  I'm not trying to think, yeah. I'm trying to just like die laugh. I wanna fall off my seat, like, you know what I mean?

• 12:14Speaker 01

  Did you listen to Chris Rock's?

• 12:15Speaker 02

  Recent one?

• 12:16Speaker 01

  Recent, Netflix special.

• 12:17Speaker 02

  No, but you know what?

• 12:18Speaker 01

  Have to listen.

• 12:19Speaker 02

  My dad told me also to watch it. And that's kind of what put me off from watching it cuz I was like, ah, he always tells me like, you know.

• 12:24Speaker 01

  No, no, he's right. And I'm not joking. He to me is, I think, the best of all time. Oh, another one I love who's clean, like who doesn't really swear, he's super clean, he's really clever, is Jim Gaffigan. Jim Gaffigan is amazing too. I like him. There's so many. I really love Ali Wong. She's really good too.

• 12:44Speaker 02

  She's hysterical.

• 12:45Speaker 01

  She's amazing.

• 12:45Speaker 02

  I don't wanna lean in. I wanna, I wanna lie down.

• 12:48Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:48Speaker 02

  Was one of my favorite lines ever.

• 12:50Speaker 01

  She's so good.

• 12:51Speaker 02

  So good.

• 12:52Speaker 01

  Another one, we had him on actually, and Sam Morrell is very good too.

• 12:57Speaker 02

  Oh, you know, when I'm like, when I'm scrolling on social, but I don't wanna scroll on social? Like, I think that it's an unproductive waste of my time, but I still don't wanna do anything else.

• 13:06Speaker 01

  Right.

• 13:07Speaker 02

  I'll go to someone like Sam's profile and just scroll through reels because I feel like it's productive. Like, I'm laughing and so I'm feeling really good.

• 13:13Speaker 01

  100%.

• 13:13Speaker 02

  And his reels are really funny. He's funny.

• 13:15Speaker 01

  He's great. Like, he's great in the moment. Like, Sam can like, that's why his whole page is basically like him picking people out of the.

• 13:21Speaker 02

  Yeah, the crowd work.

• 13:22Speaker 01

  The crowd. And, but they're really great. And that's great content. He's actually on tour right now.

• 13:27Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 13:28Speaker 01

  So if you guys, check him out. He's really good. There's a, and again, it's also his delivery, his voice. Voice has a lot to do with these comics, I find.

• 13:36Speaker 02

  Definitely does.

• 13:36Speaker 01

  There's a bunch of people. I like this other girl. She was, she's actually used to date Sam Morrell. She's really funny. Like, she's young and she's like super, super, super talented. And her and Sam Morrell used to go out and, what is her name? She's really funny.

• 13:53Speaker 02

  Uh, Taylor Tomlinson.

• 13:54Speaker 01

  Yeah, Taylor Tomlinson.

• 13:55Speaker 02

  Do you like her?

• 13:56Speaker 01

  I think she's really good.

• 13:57Speaker 02

  I don't think she's that funny.

• 13:58Speaker 01

  Oh, my god. She's, again, I think she's so clever, like how she like sequences words together. I think she's amazing. I think she's great. Brian Regan is another one I really like. There's so many, but.

• 14:09Speaker 02

  Do you know Anthony Jeselnik?

• 14:11Speaker 01

  Yeah, I do. I know him. He's good. I like him. Not as good as the other ones, though. People love him.

• 14:15Speaker 02

  I think he has, in terms of the economy of words, like, he's one of the best.

• 14:20Speaker 01

  He's good. He's very good.

• 14:21Speaker 02

  Literally crafting jokes. Like, I don't find Taylor to be a joke crafter. I think she's kinda got something, but she's not crafting jokes.

• 14:28Speaker 01

  Really?

• 14:29Speaker 02

  Perfection.

• 14:29Speaker 01

  I think she's, I think that she tells a great story. I think.

• 14:34Speaker 02

  But I don't like story comedy.

• 14:35Speaker 01

  Yeah, but, I mean, I know what you're.

• 14:37Speaker 02

  Standup.

• 14:37Speaker 01

  She's great. I think she's an excellent standup. She has like three specials and each one of them, I think, were amazing.

• 14:44Speaker 02

  I could never get into any of them. I even started all of them.

• 14:46Speaker 01

  Really?

• 14:47Speaker 02

  Yeah, I just didn't like, like them.

• 14:48Speaker 01

  See, I, I actually do like, I like Andy Jeselnik. He wasn't my, one of my favorite favorites. Oh, do you know who I love? And I think you put me on to him, is Elon Gold or Gold.

• 14:58Speaker 02

  Love Elon Gold.

• 14:59Speaker 01

  He's hilarious.

• 15:00Speaker 02

  Elon Gold is so freaking funny.

• 15:03Speaker 01

  He is so funny. And the other guy that his sidekick, that Modi.

• 15:07Speaker 02

  Modi, yeah.

• 15:07Speaker 01

  I like him. I think he's very funny.

• 15:09Speaker 02

  Someone I love also on the British side of the pond is Michael McIntyre. I think you would really like him. He's very family friendly too.

• 15:15Speaker 01

  I don't know that guy. You know what I do like?

• 15:17Speaker 02

  So funny.

• 15:17Speaker 01

  He's funny? I like Ricky Jarvey.

• 15:19Speaker 02

  Yeah, he's great. Yeah, Ricky Jarvey's, yeah, but Michael McIntyre is like a little bit more, like, Michael McIntyre is, yeah, I guess he, he's like family friendly. The guy, the guy literally sells out like arenas nonstop. He's, he's fun for everyone. He's like, he's so good.

• 15:33Speaker 01

  You know who I used to love actually is Russell Peters. Do you know who he is?

• 15:37Speaker 02

  Yeah, of course. Yeah, yeah, Russell Peters is so good.

• 15:39Speaker 01

  He was so good. This is the point, right? There's a comedian for everybody. Everyone has different tastes and everything else, but the bottom line is, if you can find five minutes to laugh every day, your health will be so improved. That's a great way to naturally just release endorphins and, and really just increase your overall physical and mental health. And like I said, this podcast is all about actionable ways to optimize your life and your health. And so today we bring you the science of laughter. And let us know some comedians that you guys like. I love, I mean, seriously, like, I'm always looking for someone to, to laugh to. So please, share.

• 16:20Speaker 02

  Yes, go have a chuckle.

• 16:22Speaker 01

  Yes. And let me know some other ones if I haven't mentioned them already on the podcast. Bye.