Laughter May Be The Best Medicine You’ve Never Tried

If You Don’t Feel Like Laughing… That’s Exactly Why You Should.

If someone told you that 20 minutes of playful laughter could reduce stress, boost your immune system, and leave you feeling happier and more energized… would you believe them?

Welcome to the world of Laughter Clubs—a joyful global movement that’s helping people reconnect with their inner spark and find relief from modern-day stress, all through one simple (and surprisingly effective) tool: unconditional laughter, a powerful medicine.

Hearts Rooted teacher/healer Stephanie Eskins Gleason has made it a personal area of study to participate and learn from laughter clubs and recently became certified by Celeste Greene, a Laughter Club Trainer for the global Laughter Club movement.

Stephanie will be offering a free 30 minute Laughter Club on Wednesdays at 12pm PST/3pm EST beginning in May 2025.

Sign up for our newsletter for more information and live zoom links! Example recordings of our Laughter Club are also available on our YouTube Channel HERE.

The Birth of a Global Movement

A visionary physician named Dr. Madan Kataria and his wife Madhuri Kataria, a yoga teacher, founded the first Laughter Club in 1995 in Mumbai, India. They were inspired by laughter medicine pioneers and intrigued by scientific research showing that laughter has profound health benefits—even when it’s not sparked by humor.

Together, they created Laughter Yoga, a unique blend of intentional laughter, breathing techniques, and lighthearted playfulness. Despite the name, there are no yoga poses involved— but our practices do include aspects of Zhineng Qigong. But you don’t need to know yoga or qigong to participate — you just need a willingness to laugh, breathe, be present, and follow along.

What started as a small gathering in a public park has since become a worldwide phenomenon, with thousands of Laughter Clubs across more than 70 countries. And the best part? They’re completely free and led by enthusiastic, volunteer Laughter Leaders.

No Jokes Required – Just Willingness and Fun

Laughter Clubs don’t rely on comedy or clever punchlines. Instead, they tap into something even more powerful: childlike playfulness and the decision to embrace joy as a form of exercise.

At first, you simply choose to laugh—yes, even if you don’t feel like it. You make eye contact with others, move around, and let your laughter be silly, maybe even a bit forced. But here’s the magic: that pretend giggle soon turns real. Laughter becomes contagious, spontaneous, and absolutely freeing.

We take all those feel good chemicals our laughter created and we use breathing techniques, qigong movements, and a closing meditation to spread that chemistry through every cell in our bodies, reset, and recharge.

Science-Backed, Soul-Soothing Benefits

Think this sounds too good to be true? The science says otherwise. When you laugh—whether it’s genuine or simulated—your body responds in powerful ways. Studies have shown that intentional laughter:

• Decreases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline

• Floods your system with feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin

• Improves oxygen flow and blood circulation

• Boosts your immune system

• Increases mental clarity and resilience

• Releases endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.

In fact, your body doesn’t even care whether the laughter is “real” or not—it still triggers all these benefits. One study even found that structured laughter exercises may be more effective than spontaneous laughter.

How You’ll Feel After a Laughter Club Practice

You’ll leave a Laughter Club session feeling lighter, clearer, and more connected to the world around you. Some of the benefits you might notice immediately or over time include:

• Reduced stress and anxiety

• A more cheerful, positive mindset

• Higher energy and focus

• Better emotional balance

• Improved sleep

• Stronger immunity

• Relief from chronic pain

• A boost in creativity and productivity

• Better relationships at work and home

• Greater resilience in the face of life’s challenges

And perhaps most importantly, you’ll feel more like your Real Self—that part of you that is vibrant, joyful, and present.

If You Don’t Feel Like Laughing… That’s Exactly Why You Should

In times like these, when the world feels heavy and overwhelming, laughter might seem out of reach. But that’s exactly when it’s most needed. If you feel stress, anxiety, or burnout, laughter can be a gentle key that unlocks your natural healing.

No matter your age, background, or fitness level, there’s a place for you in a Laughter Club. You just need a willingness to try something different—and maybe look a little silly in the process.

But trust us, you won’t be the only one giggling.

Want More Information on the Benefits?

Are you interested in diving deeper into the science of laughter? Here’s an abstract of  “Simulated Laughter Has Better Effects Than Spontaneous Laughter” excerpted from Science Direct:

Objectives: Laughter has long been regarded as beneficial for health, but the mechanisms are not clearly understood. The current study aimed to compare the acute cardiovascular effects of spontaneous and simulated laughter.

Design: A mixed factorial experiment was performed to examine changes in cardiovascular variables in response to experimental tasks across conditions.

Interventions: A sample of 72 participants were randomized to one of three 6 min interventions. Participants in the simulated laughter condition were asked to generate fake laughter, the spontaneous laughter condition viewed a humorous video, and the control condition watched a non-humorous documentary. This was followed by a laboratory stress task.

Main outcomes measures: Heart rate and heart rate variability (as indexed by rMSSD) were monitored continuously throughout the experiment using ECG.

Results: The simulated laughter condition had a significantly higher heart rate (p < .001, ηp2 = .26) and lower rMSSD (p < .001, ηp2 = .13) during the laughter task compared to the other two conditions. Follow-up hierarchical regressions indicated that the difference in heart rate was due to the fact that the simulated condition produced more laughter. The difference in rMSSD, however, was unique to the simulated condition even when controlling for the amount of laughter. The simulated laughter condition had a significantly lower mean HR during the stress task but this was not significant after controlling amount of laughter produced.

Conclusions: Laughter leads to increased heart rate and reduced heart rate variability, which is similar to the effects of exercise. This finding is more pronounced in simulated laughter.

Still curious for more? You can find more studies here!

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Stephanie Eskins Gleason is a certified Zhineng Qigong Healer and Teacher in the Hearts Rooted Collective. Stephanie's teaching specialties and healing modalities include Intuition Development, The 13 Moon Galactic Cycle, and Zhineng Qigong. For more information about Stephanie, her offerings, and her work, visit her website at www.VitaAnima.org