Everyone knows that laughter can sometimes be the best medicine. Now, some doctors in Australia are proving it. It was found in a study that laughing and increasing your good mood can actually decrease dementia agitation by 20 percent. Does twenty percent not sound all that impressive? Well consider this – it’s about the same amount as antipsychotic medications have on dementia patients.
The study took place in 36 Australian nursing homes. The happiness was brought in through games, jokes and songs for 12 weeks. Happier patients who then showed the ability to learn, even though they were all diagnosed with dementia, was the biggest outcome of the study. Patients that participated in the program showed less agitation from dementia for up to 26 weeks after the study was completed. But happiness levels dropped immediately after the study was completed and the fun activities wrapped up. Amazing what a little laughter can do!
