A sense of humour isn’t just a personality trait. Research shows it creates powerful physiological shifts in the body, helping it release tension, restore balance, and return to a state of ease. In Natural Body Intelligence, humour is seen as a natural regulator — one that softens the body, clears stress, and creates the internal conditions needed for healing.
Below is what modern science has observed, translated into the terrain-based understanding of the body.
1. Laughter reduces stress hormones
Studies from Loma Linda University found that genuine laughter reduces cortisol, adrenaline, and dopac — the chemicals that keep the body on high alert.
Just 20 minutes of natural laughter can reduce cortisol by up to 70 percent.
When cortisol drops:
• muscles soften
• digestion improves
• clearer thinking emerges
• the body stops bracing
• natural repair processes become easier
Humour pulls the body out of “defence mode”, allowing space for restoration.
2. Humour improves cardiovascular function
A study in The Journal of the American Heart Association found that laughter increases blood vessel flexibility and improves circulation by around 22 percent.
Better circulation means the body can:
• move waste more efficiently
• deliver oxygen and nutrients more effectively
• reduce internal pressure
This is one of the reasons people feel lighter and more energised after a good laugh.
3. Laughter activates natural pain relief
Research at the University of Oxford showed that group laughter increases pain tolerance by up to 10 percent.
Laughter triggers rhythmic contractions around the diaphragm, which activate deep rest-and-release pathways in the body — leading to feelings of ease, warmth, and relief.
4. Laughter improves breathing and oxygenation
When you laugh, you exhale more fully than during normal breathing. This pushes stale air out of the lungs and allows a deeper intake of fresh air.
Respiratory studies show that laughter:
• increases oxygen uptake
• releases tightness in the chest
• improves diaphragm movement
• resets breathing rhythm
This mirrors the Natural Hygiene understanding that the breath is one of the primary regulators of vitality.
5. Humour lightens the body’s internal load
This section is rewritten exactly as requested — no reference to immunity.
Chronic tension and stress create a heavy internal atmosphere. When the body is under emotional or mental strain, it redirects energy toward coping, and less energy is available for normal maintenance and cleansing.
Research shows that laughter reverses this pattern by reducing stress markers and relaxing the nervous system. When tension decreases, the body is no longer holding everything tightly inside.
This allows:
• better elimination of waste
• improved clarity in the tissues
• easier restoration
• more balanced internal chemistry
• a lighter overall terrain
Humour removes pressure from the system. When pressure lifts, the body can function the way it’s designed to function.
6. Humour strengthens human connection
MRI studies show that shared laughter increases oxytocin, the bonding chemical associated with safety, warmth, and trust.
When people laugh together, the body receives a clear message:
“I am safe, and I belong.”
Safety is the foundation of healing.
Isolation creates tension; connection dissolves it.
7. Humour shifts perception — and perception changes the body
Much of the body’s stress response comes not from events but from meaning.
Humour changes meaning instantly.
A stressful situation becomes absurd.
A worry becomes laughable.
A challenge becomes manageable.
When perception softens, so does the body.
The nervous system relaxes, chemistry stabilises, and clarity returns.
8. Humour is linked to longer lifespan
A Norwegian study of over 50,000 people found that those with a strong sense of humour lived longer, especially when facing life stressors.
The researchers suggested that humour creates resilience — not by “stimulating” anything, but by reducing internal strain, supporting the natural rhythms of the body.
In Summary
Humour is not a distraction.
It is a natural physiological reset.
Research shows it:
• lowers stress hormones
• improves circulation
• relieves pain
• deepens breathing
• reduces internal pressure
• enhances emotional resilience
• supports longevity
In Natural Body Intelligence, humour is a signal of flow.
It reminds the body to loosen, release, and return to its natural state of ease.
If you want a daily practice that lightens the terrain:
Find something to laugh about. And if possible, laugh with someone else.