It is known that sustained or intense stress can increase a person’s chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Conversely, some studies have shown in recent years that living experiences opposite to stressful situations, such as enjoying open laughter and joy, can help protect the heart and blood vessels.

Madrid, Spain, July 18 (EFE).- Can joy and laughter help prevent heart disease? The answer is yes, according to recent studies.

Heart diseases, particularly heart attacks, often seem to come out of nowhere, but the truth is that reducing the risk of suffering from them is, to a large extent, in our hands, since the chances of a person developing them depend largely on components of our lifestyle that are potentially modifiable, according to specialists.

Some risk factors – biological characteristics or behaviors that increase the likelihood of suffering from a particular disease or dying from it – cannot be modified, such as age, gender, and genetic predisposition.

But about 90% of the risk of heart attack in men and 94% of the risk in women can be attributed to factors over which a person can exercise varying degrees of control, meaning heart ailments are largely preventable, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) in the United States.

Prevention health campaigns aimed at protecting the health of the heart and blood vessels emphasize correcting these modifiable risk factors, which include high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, diabetes, drinking alcohol and having an unhealthy diet, as well as smoking, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and stress.

The ‘ha, ha, ha’: natural ally of cardiovascular health

Stress is a well-known risk factor for heart disease, but the opposite of stress – laughter and joy – can actually help protect the heart, research reveals and experts say.

“Laughter can have a beneficial effect that promotes blood vessel health,” says Dr. Brett Carroll, director of Vascular Medicine at the Cardiovascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, BIDMC, a renowned hospital in Boston.

According to this cardiologist, research suggests that endorphins, brain chemicals released during laughter, stimulate the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels. This, in turn, releases nitric oxide, a molecule known to relax the arteries.

Additionally, laughing can help reduce our body’s production of stress hormones, including cortisol and epinephrine, which are known to cause constriction of blood vessels, increasing the risks of high blood pressure, as well as suffering from a stroke or heart attack, according to Dr. Carroll.

The benefits of a good laugh

This cardiologist adds that other known healthy effects of laughter, which have a positive impact on the heart, are increasing the number of antibody-producing cells, helping to strengthen the body’s immune system, and helping to keep body weight under control, by reducing cortisol, a stress hormone that promotes overweight.

“We don’t have a specific recipe to encourage laughter, but we know that a healthy diet, regular physical exercise and healthy lifestyle habits, along with stress reduction and positive emotional health, are beneficial for the cardiovascular system,” emphasizes Dr. Carroll.

“Although in today’s chaotic world it may be more difficult to maintain relationships when we feel overwhelmed, sharing a joke or funny memory with friends or family over the phone or via video call may be more important than ever, as it can be a good antidote to stress,” according to the BIDMC cardiologist.

“Physical isolation can lead to loneliness, but there is a difference between being physically distant and emotionally distant,” says Dr. Elizabeth LaSalvia, a geriatric psychiatrist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

To encourage laughter and emotional well-being, LaSalvia recommends being proactive – taking the initiative and taking action – by contacting family and friends, or calling a person you have wanted to talk to for a long time.

Watching a comedy at the movies or on television, reading a funny book or listening to a funny stand-up comedian are other practical ways to encourage laughter, recommended by LaSalvia.

“Although it remains to be seen whether it is the best medicine, when it comes to heart health, laughter can help keep the heart in good shape. No joke!” emphasizes the BIDMC.

Joy, endothelium and nitric oxide

Just like regularly consuming foods low in sugar and saturated fat, avoiding tobacco and staying physically active, joy and laughter can help prevent heart disease, because reducing stress helps keep the endothelium healthy, confirms cardiologist Andrew Einstein, professor of radiological medicine at CUIMC.

“Arteries and veins are lined by a layer of cells called endothelium, which when healthy, promotes blood flow, prevents clot formation and plaque buildup, and transports the substances the body needs,” explains Dr. Einstein.

“One of these substances, nitric oxide, induces relaxation of blood vessels, which allows greater blood flow and reduces blood pressure,” he specifies.

Participate in activities that bring us joy and produce laughter; Listening to upbeat music and watching comedies can improve cardiovascular health, especially when combined with other healthy habits. We can also find joy in a pleasant read and a healthy meal, highlights this cardiologist.

“This doesn’t mean you should sit down and turn on the TV. It means choosing TV shows, movies, music and other activities that make you laugh, or at least smile, rather than those that provoke negative reactions or emotions (fighting, screaming, violence, intense scenes),” he describes.

Comedy shows and coronary arteries

Indeed, laughing with friends or laughing out loud at our favorite comedy show will not only make us feel good, but could also be good for our hearts, as revealed by a study by Professor Marco Saffi, from Brazil, and his team of researchers, according to the British Heart Foundation, BHF.

Their research, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in 2023, showed that people with coronary heart disease (the main cause of myocardial infarction) who regularly watched comedy programs had benefits for their heart and circulatory system compared to those who watched serious documentaries.

In this clinical trial, the effects of laughter were studied for 12 weeks in a group of 26 people with coronary heart disease and an average age of 64 years, asking half of the participants to follow a course of laughter therapy consisting of watching comedy programs twice a week; while the other half watched documentaries with neutral content on topics such as politics, according to the BHF.

It was found that laughter therapy produced improvements in the heart and blood circulation: the arteries were able to expand to a greater extent; the flow of oxygen around the body increased; and indicators of inflammation in the blood, which can help predict the possibility of a heart attack or stroke, were reduced, according to this same source.

Although Saffi’s study was relatively small, other research has shown the positive effects of laughter, as laughing releases endorphins; It increases oxygenation of the air we breathe in our body and reduces hormones associated with stress, which reduces heart rate and blood pressure, and relaxes muscles, according to the BHF.

Professor Marco Saffi has suggested that laughter could be used as therapy, for example by inviting people with heart disease to enjoy comedy shows or encouraging them to share fun evenings with friends and family.

The BHF notes that in the UK, doctors in Bristol and Coventry are recommending laughter yoga, a combination of breathing exercises and deliberate laughter, as part of a pilot program to improve the well-being of their patients.

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