Laughter Yoga utilizes benign imitative laughter that unifies everyone involved

In contrast to the conventional use of adult laughter, which uses laughter as a means of separative derision of the targeted person, while also somewhat unifying those who are simultaneously laughing at the derided victim, Laughter Yoga instead utilizes benign imitative laughter that friendly unifies everyone involved.

This is a socially healthy thing, very much needed nowadays, where the drama of winning conflict has become an unhealthy obsession that has been disrupting opportunities for the good life for all. Laughter Yoga makes everybody a winner through participative belonging, none left out; and imitation is an intrinsic part of that, as pointed out here.

Each Laughter Yoga session requires a Laughter Leader, who leads by having the club members imitate him/her in doing the Laughter Yoga exercises. This use of imitation significantly promotes social bonding among the Laughter Yoga participants.

Also during many of the Laughter Yoga exercises, people are instructed to briefly pair up and clap together or otherwise do a one-on-one imitation of each other in gestures, physical & eye contact and voice during simultaneous ho-ho-ha-ha-ha laughter together: more use of friendly imitation.

This deliberate use of imitation as a social bonding mechanism is especially helpful to those who have difficulty in coping with group social interactions, as it was for me.

The significance of this use of imitation is well described in the following scientific research article:

"Imitation Promotes Social Bonding In Primates"
Science Daily (Aug. 15, 2009)
Adapted from materials provided by NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142133.htm

"... Individuals who match each others' behaviors feel a sense of affinity for each other, making conflicts less likely, and cooperation more likely. Eventually, such connections extend throughout the group...."

(This also is my post at http://www.laughangeles.com/forum/index.php/topic,319.0.html )