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Galway event will have them giggling silly
They say that laughter is good for the soul, but apparently it is also good for your health. Research has shown that laughter can even extend your life expectancy, so what better way to spend your Sunday than adding years to your life simply by having a good old giggle.
This Sunday Galway plays host to Ireland’s first Junior Laughter Championship from 3-5pm in the Harbour Hotel, following the success of the senior (over 18 years of age) Laughter Championship last year. The event is organised by NUI Galway student Siobhán Kavanagh in aid of Jigsaw Galway.
The competition aims to promote the potential health benefits of laughter by encouraging people to embrace whatever class of guffaw they possess, with contestants being judged in a number of laughable categories.
The categories include snort laugher and diabolical laughter, with participants being assessed on the infectiousness and technique of their laugh. Aside from the coveted title of Laughter Champion, the winner will receive a Galway Crystal trophy to boot.
The growing popularity of Laughter Championship’s is in part due to the rise in popularity of laughter yoga. Laughter yoga involves breathing exercises, laughter exercises and guided meditation.
The organiser Siobhán Kavanagh is a PhD student in Child and Youth Research in NUI Galway’s School of Psychology, and a member of the Irish Laughter association. Her research investigates the impact of laughter yoga on well-being.
“Although laughter has been described as the best medicine, researchers are only starting to understand the positive effects it can have on the body and mind, or indeed on well-being.
“Research on laughter yoga has found many benefits, for example, increased levels of life satisfaction, positive emotion and decreased stress levels. We need to be mindful when we are telling people about the positive effects of laughter yoga, that research is still in the early stages. However, anecdotally, laughter yoga participants report a range of benefits,” explains Siobhan.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.