Renowned Dr Andrew Weil recently told a Senate committee, during a hearing about health-care reform, that Laughter Yoga could help lower American health-care costs. Here is what he wrote about Laughter Yoga in his “tip of the day” on www.drweil.com:

Laughter yoga is based on a simple truth that all children know: laughter makes you feel better (children laugh about 400 times a day; adults, 15 times). Developed by Madan Kataria, a family physician from India, laughter yoga is spreading across the United States and the world. Some typical exercises include:

  • Greeting laughter: Laughing while shaking hands with at least four or five people in a group.
  • Appreciation laughter: Joining the index finger with the thumb to make the universal “okay” sign to other group members while laughing simultaneously.

Laughter yoga exploits the natural human tendency to laugh when others laugh – so when a group of people forces laughter, it quickly transitions to real, spontaneous laughing. I find this trend fascinating, and have no doubt that boosting the daily laughter quotient is indeed healthy, especially in adults.