It’s not just the economy that’s in the doldrums. New research says we’re going through a ‘laughter recession’ and not chuckling nearly as much as we need to. Diana Pilkington explores the importance of laughing.

When was the last time you had a good old giggle? A proper, sidesplitting, belly-aching laugh? Not recently enough, if new statistics are anything to go to.

According to research, us Brits are in the midst of a “laughter recession”, with the decade considered the least fun of the past 60 years.

Adults are laughing an average of only 7.2 times a day, less than half the optimum number of 15 times recommended by psychologists, a survey of 2,000 people for Jackpotjoy.com found.

“Laughing 100 times is equivalent to doing a ten-minute workout on a rowing machine,” says consultant psychologist Anjula Mutanda.

“It also affects the same brain circuits which trigger pleasurable emotional states, so it improves wellbeing in that way.”

With our culture of 24-hour news and the constant backdrop of the struggling economy, Mutanda says it’s getting harder for us to tune out the negative.

But the good news is we can take steps to improving our mood by exposing ourselves to whatever makes us laugh, be it stand-up comedy, silly voices or wacky YouTube videos.

And, believe it or not, even faking a laugh is more beneficial than not laughing at all.

“Even if you go to a comedy show and don’t personally find the jokes funny, just being around people who are laughing can lift your mood,” says Mutanda.