Can You Die From Laughter?
In 1975, Alex Mitchell laughed for 25 minutes straight.
Is laughter always the best medicine? Science indeed points towards it being so.
Studies are proving the laughter can beneficially stimulate organs, relieve pain, and even improve your immune system. But like all medicines, given the right context, the dose can make the poison.
Alex Mitchell’s story is one example of an overdose of laughter.
What Was So Funny?
Alex Mitchell arrived home from work just in time for supper on March 24, 1975. Mitchell was a 50-year old bricklayer from Norfolk, England, at the time.
After dinner, he turned on the television to catch his favorite show, The Goodies. The show was a sketch comedy program airing on the BBC. That evening’s episode was entitled “Kung Fu Kapers.”
The sketch’s plot featured a kilted Scotsman using his bagpipes to fight a “black pudding” martial arts master. The slapstick humor immediately sold to Mitchell, whose laughter could be heard all over the house. And as the skit progressed, so did the magnitude of Mitchell’s…
