A new club in Ames offers a yoga-like exercise with laughter, not tranquility.

The Laugh-It-Up Laughter Club, headed by Sally Shaver, is brand new to Ames.

Since joke-based humor is subjective, the club focuses on simulated laughter, or as Shaver calls it, “laughter yoga.”

The hook to the exercise is laughter’s contagious nature. Although the exercises begin as simulations, they quickly become genuine laughter.

Shaver, one of four laughter leaders in Iowa, said, “It’s just a time for people to come and let their inner child out a little bit.”

She added that the typical preschooler laughs about 400 times a day, while the average adult tallies less than 15.

This drastic contrast is mostly due to the stresses and tensions that arise as people age.

Marty Martinez, staff psychologist at ISU Student Counseling Services, does not use laughter when advising students. He said such a practice is not appropriate because of the seriousness of his students’ issues.

Instead, Martinez strives to help the factors that allow for laughter, and “break down the blocks” that stop it from happening.

“When you work on the issues, people feel a greater sense of freedom,” Martinez said.

Martinez made it clear that laughter cannot be the solution to any problem, but rather, “it’s the result of things that are going on in the systems that are healthy.”

Shaver and Martinez agreed that laughter contributes to health by releasing endorphins and neurotransmitters in the brain and can be capable of turning negative attitudes around. And, more noticeably, laughing can be a rigorous abdominal workout.

Both also said laughter is an incredibly powerful social tool. Shaver noted social interaction as a main – yet simple – objective for Laugh-It-Up.

“I really emphasize just getting to know somebody’s name,” she said.

Martinez pointed out that people like to be around people who make them laugh.

“It’s a relational thing – a bonding thing. It helps people feel connected,” Martinez said.

Shaver was trained by the World Laughter Tour, which certifies leaders for the laughter exercises and activities.

Shaver said more than 30 people attended the first Laugh-It-Up Laughter Club meeting in early May.

The next scheduled meeting is June 17 at 2:30 p.m. at the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave. The monthly meetings are free to people of all ages.