Research: Watching TV comedies burns calories

Watching sitcoms and laughing out loud can help people to lose weight, according to research.

Scientists were paid by the comedy channel Dave to produce a report identifying five types of laughter and work out how many calories each laugh.

This is not the first time that laughter has been shown to burn calories. It's estimated that 15 minutes of laughter each day can increase total energy expenditure by up to 40 calories. That's the equivalent of one Mars bar a week.

Dr Helen Pilcher and Timandra Harkness, a sometime stand-up,identified the following five types of laugh:

• The Howler: Flat out, uncontrollable, roll on the floor laughter. Can burn up to 120 calories per hour
• The Belly Buster: Hearty belly laughs Can burn up to 100 calories per hour
• The Giggle: Getting the giggles Can burn up to 33 calories per hour
• The Chuckle: Irrepressible chuckling Can burn up to 20 calories per hour
• The Snigger: Sniggering Can burn up to 10 calories per hour.

It is also widely accepted that laughter can have many positive effects on the human body, from boosting levels of 'feel-good' endorphins in the brain, to decreasing stress levels and dulling pain.

But research hints that laughter is also good for the cardiovascular system and can help to tone the abdominals. In one study from 2014, researchers showed how hearty laughter can activate particular abdominal muscles. One group of muscles, the internal obliques, is activated more by laughter than by stomach crunches.

Dr Pilcher said: 'This report raises the joyous possibility that watching comedy shows can help you to shape your six pack by targeting internal oblique muscles more effectively than sit-ups. I definitely felt more toned after watching hours of TV comedies.'

The researchers also sampled multiple episodes of comedy shows aired by their backer, Dave, to predict the potential calorie loss that could be achieved by watching each of them, based on the duration of each type of laughter generated on average per episode.

Taskmaster with Greg Davies and Alex Horne produced the most lights, with 32 calories-worth of laughter in its 45-minute duration.

The Top 5 calorie-burning shows on the channel in January were;

1) Taskmaster - 42.9 calories / hour
2) Room 101 - 40.3 calories / hour
3) QI XL – 35.5 calories / hour
4) Mock the Week – 31.8 calories / hour
5) Not Going Out – 28.2 calories / hour

Pilcher and a Harkness are from the Comedy Research Project, an independent group that researches the science behind laughter, or 'gelotology'.

Published: 20 Jan 2016