Body Meets Mind: Positive Psychology and Health for Everyone

When I saw this title of the European Congress on Positive Psychology conference to be held in July 2026 in Dublin, it inspired me to write about body meeting mind.

It is interesting that there is often a clear distinction made in healthcare between the body and the mind. What is in the body – physical, biological, physiological. What is in the mind – psychological or psychiatric.

The French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) argued that the natures of mind and body are completely different from one another and that each could exist by itself. Simplifying human health into two distinct systems is a Western-style evolution in healthcare. It happened in tandem with medical advances in the measurement and treatment of diseases. Some aspects of bodily function are easy to measure – blood pressure, heart rate and blood samples provide quantifiable units so that the effects of disease and treatments can be measured. Bodily function analysis gives numbers, allowing statisticians to analyse the effects of medicines. This is, of course, important, and gives medical researchers key information which is used to guide clinicians in the prescription of drugs to treat biological imbalances.

Health is all about maintaining balance. Allostasis is the process of keeping the body in balance. The basic concept is that the physical and mental functioning of the body serves the core purpose of restoring and maintaining balance when equilibrium is disturbed. This is the natural response to any kind of stress. Balance is the state where the body and brain operate most efficiently. This is where harmony lies.

This concept of harmony is well-established in Eastern medical traditions. For example, Ayurvedic medicine regards restoring harmony between the body and mind as a corner stone for health. Relaxation, meditation and yoga are pro-active ways of keeping the body and mind in synch. Importantly the fundamental influences of the body on the brain and the brain on the body are regarded as central. Balance and harmony within and between body and mind underpin good health.

In recent years the wisdom of the Eastern approach to health has been highlighted by many influential people. The Beatles went to visit the Dali Lama in the 1960s.

Meditation was then regarded as whacky and alternative; not prone to quantification or scientific study. Since then, brain imaging studies have shown that meditation can change the structure of the brain.[1] It has now become clear that treating the relationship between the mind and the body with respect is the best way forward. Happiness is found when harmony between the body and the mind is achieved.

What can we do to encourage our body to meet our mind? Laugh, of course. Laughter is a wonderful way of relaxing both our body and our brain. We cannot worry when we are lost in laughter. Laughter takes over our whole body, rendering us helpless. Think about a time when you were not supposed to be laughing, when you tried to suppress laughter and didn’t manage very well. How did that feel?

Laughter has been proven to be a powerful coping strategy, helping us to deal with the inevitable challenges of daily life. It does this by neutralising stress, relaxing the body, switching off the mind, inhibiting rumination. Laughter interrupts negative thoughts, brings in positive thoughts and restores mental balance. Incidentally, it is also a form of exercise, activating respiratory and trunk muscles. It has been described as ‘internal jogging’.

Laughter doesn’t just encourage the body and mind to meet; it encourages them to get to know each other – to interact and restore harmony. Look for laughter and see for yourself how good it feels. Watch comedy. Share funny stories with people who laugh easily, and with whom you often share laughter. You can even laugh deliberately – just for the fun of it and because it generates interplay between your mind and your body.

[1] Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature neuroscience, 15(5), 689-695.