Laughing Matter

Freshman Lewis Leiboh and four friends waited 11 hours in line for tickets to a Boston taping of “The Late Show with David Letterman.” “We slept on the sidewalk and laughed all night.

“I don’t get to watch his show much because I’m always studying, but I love him because he’s silly and funny. If I had one word to characterize MIT, it would not be funny,” he says. “It would be work.”

In an intense, high-pressure environment, enjoying happy moments is one of the healthiest ways to achieve mental and physical well-being, MIT doctors say. Big health benefits come from living a balanced life and one of the best ways to balance mind and body is to add to all the hours of work many hours of play.

“Taking the time to enjoy yourself yields real psychological benefits,” says Dr. Anthony Van Niel, a psychiatrist who encourages people to do something fun every day. Swim. Sail. Go for a walk. Appreciate the beauty of the sky. Sing out loud. Go home early. “It’s critical,” he says. “We need enjoyment every day. Without it we feel a little hopeless; life is depressing and soon becomes a grind.”

“Laughter can be the best treatment in an intense environment,” says Dr. Mark Goldstein, MIT’s chief of student health. “There’s no question that laughter makes you feel better. It relieves stress, can make you forget your problems for a short time, and after laughing with a group, there’s a cohesiveness you otherwise wouldn’t have.”

At MIT, the more common illnesses for students, faculty, and staff are all caused by stress. “The whole constellation of symptoms is due to stress,” says Goldstein, adding ailments include gastritis, heartburn, ulcers, headache, chest pains, eye-blinking, muscle-twitching, and insomnia.

“Everyone at MIT is a high-achiever who wants to do more. We’re not going to change that, but we try to teach them how to cope,” says Goldstein, who encourages patients to live a balanced life–eat, sleep, work, exercise–and enjoy yourself. “I say, ‘Have a good time. Go laugh somewhere. You have to find time.

“Laughter is a good medicine. It’s medicine for your soul. It really makes you feel well and just makes you feel better about everything.”

Sometimes, he says, when he asks MIT patients: “What do you do for fun?” many stare back blankly. Van Niel also asks that question. “Sometimes the question makes people feel very sad,” he says. “Some people realize that they haven’t allowed themselves to have any fun, that they’ve let that part of their lives be overridden by other demands, and they’re sad because they’re missing the things they really used to enjoy.”

Good Feelings

A good way to relax and have fun, Goldstein says, is to exercise. “After rigorous exercise, the brain releases endorphins, a chemical that makes you feel well.”

Van Niel, a runner, says that endorphins create tranquility and mental relaxation. “Exercise really does change your state of mind,” he says, adding that one of the best reasons to do activities that make us feel good, is because we then have good feelings to return to others. “People who don’t have pleasure to give,” he says, “can’t give it back.”

Play not only is relaxing, Van Niel says, but can spark imagination. “To be creative we have to look at things from a different angle and play allows us to do this. Any pleasurable activity that takes you away from work, allows you to come back and look at the work from a fresh perspective.”

Perhaps the healthier among us, he says, are students who invent hacks. “Hacks have become a symbol for everyone of a way to take the burden students are under and turn it into something funny. Hackers are people all of us can look to in order to make something fun of our day-to-day work.”

Speaking of work, Goldstein says: “You are talking to someone who epitomizes hard work and stress. We just got a treadmill at home. I started doing 30 minutes a day, but I don’t feel the endorphins yet. I’m waiting. Maybe I’d be better off laughing.”

by Liz Karagianis

On Topic: health science+technology