Following a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2001, Nira began seeking ways to ease the pain and weakness she was experiencing from the treatments. That’s when she came across research suggesting that laughter can affect stress, pain, mood and even the immune system.

Berry teaches laughter yoga, a series of role-playing exercises and relaxation routines that allow people to laugh out loud without trying to crack jokes. She has a motto for newcomers who don’t think they can force their way into authentic guffaws: “You fake it until you make it.”

Laughter: My Medicine of Choice. How Laughing Keeps You Happy and Sane at Work

Two weeks ago, I awoke at 6:30 a.m. with a tingly face and sore abdominal muscles. A few minutes’ reflections led me to the conclusion that the previous evening’s incessant laughter with good friends was the culprit. It had been my final night in Washington DC before making the move to New York City, so my buddies and I enjoyed a last hurrah by cracking jokes, chatting over drinks, playing (or in my case, observing) Sega matches, reminiscing about our undergrad days, and exchanging funny stories. I hadn’t laughed so hard since summertime, and the release was much-needed amid a swift job change and relocation.

The inventors of yoga thousands of years ago probably did not envision plastic camouflage helmets, conga lines or Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” as part of the practice. But Nira Berry doesn’t particularly care. In fact, she probably would laugh them off.

Berry teaches laughter yoga, a series of role-playing exercises and relaxation routines that allow people to laugh out loud without trying to crack jokes. She has a motto for newcomers who don’t think they can force their way into authentic guffaws: “You fake it until you make it.”