For centuries in Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant countries, the week following Easter Sunday was observed as “days of joy and laughter” with parties and picnics to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Churchgoers and pastors played practical jokes on each other, drenched each other with water, told jokes, sang, and danced. The custom was rooted in the writings of early theologians who said God played a joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. Risus paschalis, “the Easter laugh,” medieval theologians called it. I’ve pondered the connection between resurrection and laughter ever since I learned about this tradition. As we move farther from Easter into summertime, I hope this is something Yates can continue to embrace.
Science is recognizing that laughter enhances physical and mental health, too. A few years ago, Lee Berk, a researcher at Loma Linda University, published research on how moods affect immune systems and illness. He found laughter has a role in fighting infection, cancer and heart disease. Stress can hamper your immune system and a good laugh can help. Berk found earlier that watching a one-hour humorous video reduced stress hormone secretion and helped the immune system do its work.
But there’s more. Berk suggests the mere anticipation of laughing can help. He studied ten men, measured their stress signs, and told them that in about three days they would see a humorous video. Even two days before viewing—before they’d actually seen anything—depression, anger, fatigue, confusion and tension had decreased significantly. After the viewing, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion and tension were reduced dramatically.
Berk calls this influence of anticipating joy the “biology of hope.” In his words: “Positive anticipation of humor starts the ball rolling in a sense, in which moods begin to change in ways that help the body fight illness. We believe this shows that even anticipation can be used to help patients recover from a wide range of disorders.” Even scheduling humor can benefit your health, so watch a funny movie, spend time with humorous people, read the comics or browse the humor section in the bookstore.
You can even tell your pastor to lighten up. That’s definitely the healthiest choice for all of us.
The book of Proverbs tells us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (17:22) The Apostle Paul tells us “hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5), and more fully, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope.” (Romans 15:13) It’s a reminder that even a simple laugh in our lives can reflect the deeper hope of faith, a hope that finds its home in the good news of Jesus. Giggling and gospel. Laughter and life. Not a bad connection to make when you begin to feel the pressure rising.
Let’s commit to laugh together this summer. You’ll like it. Look for it. Celebrate it. Share it.
Grace and Peace,
P.S. Have you heard the one about the Baptist preacher…?