recently, community programs have seniors in their 70s, 80s and 90s actively improvising, on stage or even over Zoom. In these classes, simple games — saying “Yes, and…,” telling corny jokes, drawing silly faces — become mental gym workouts. One participant jokes that her improv class is “a bunch of old people…getting together and having fun,” but the gains are real: she reports her mind “continued to think quickly” and “didn’t want [it] to slow down very much”. Teachers also stress collaboration: improv’s golden rule is “always make your scene partner look good,” meaning look out for each other. As one instructor notes, this mantra is a “win–win” that builds attentiveness and even empathy in every participant.
“This isn’t about reclaiming youth—it’s about celebrating the wisdom to choose joy, knowing that every giggle, every game, and every moment of shared absurdity is an investment in a sharper, kinder, and more radiant you.”
LAUGHTER AS MEDICINE: MOOD, STRESS, AND HEALTH
Playfulness fires off a cascade of feel-good chemistry. In one Japanese trial, seniors who attended weekly comedy sessions for a month showed measurable physiological improvements: lower blood pressure and heart rate, a big rise in serotonin, and a drop in stress hormones. These changes mirrored their moods: participants reported less depression and more social energy after the laughter therapy. Social- worker Rebecca Abenante notes that real laughter triggers dopamine and endorphin release and actually blunts the stress response—“it’s hard to feel that stress when you’re laughing.” Even brief giggles
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