Laughter is just as good for our bodies as it is for our minds.
“Research has shown that people who laugh often are healthier,” stated Hannah Kull, APRN. “Kids with a well-developed sense of humor experience less stress; have lower heart rates, pulses, and blood pressure; and have better digestion.”
Benefits of having a sense of humor and laughter:
- Handle life changes: Kids who can share humor are able to handle big life changes like moving to a new town or teasing.
- Higher self-esteem: As early as preschool, kids with a strong sense of humor make friends more easily, have higher self-esteem and a more positive outlook on life.
- Helps language skills: Playing with language through humor builds vocabulary, and repeating the same jokes or riddles develops memory skills.
- Learning from role models: Joking around with your child and finding humor in everyday situations can help you be a good role model. A sense of humor is actually a learned quality that can be developed in kids, not something they’re born with.
- Family life: A sense of humor can brighten family life. Laughing together is a way to connect with children. As they grow up, you can share puns and jokes as their sense of what’s funny grows more sophisticated. Learn what’s funny at different stages of life here.
Sharing the power of laughter
Read on to learn how Children’s shares the power of laughter on our campuses.
Star Studio
Star Studio is Children’s very own in-house TV studio offering programming in St. Paul and Minneapolis. It provides positive, memorable experiences for patients and families.
Special guests, like the Harlem Globetrotters, often stop by and bring laughter to patients in the live audience: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvNAjpxlJtM/
Superhero window washers
Superheroes visited Children’s to wash the windows and bring joy to patients and families who looked on from the sibling play area in Minneapolis and the Child Life Zone in St. Paul.
Pet therapy
Pets Assisting with Healing (PAWH) is a volunteer service certified through Pet Partners with teams at both the Children’s Minnesota Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. This program’s goal is to normalize the hospital environment, encourage conversation and interaction, and brighten the days of patients, families and staff.
