Laughing Matters

In Steve Ayans article Laughing Matters, he put forth the assertion that laughter can have
many positive effects on a persons physical and mental health. Life satisfaction may increase
with the ability to laugh. The studies included observations regarding laughters and exercise;
how laughter affects immune system, humor eases pain and creates emotional resilience, and
people with a sense of humor are more attractive. In 1979, Norman cousins, a journalist, author
and editor, watched clips of the Marx brothers in order to relieve the pain of arthritis. This
seeming miracle cure allowed him to fight off the pain and return to his life, which he eventually
wrote a book, titled Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. He elaborated on the
main benefit of laughter from his own experience.
From Aristotle to more modern times, mankind has believed laughter was a physical
exercise akin to running. Actually, laughter relaxes muscles which is the opposite of exercise.
This muscle relaxation may help lessen psychological stress. Nevertheless, laughter does have
some effect on physical health and emotion. Base on the classical James-Lange theory of
emotion, our facial expression can induce different emotions; therefore, the physical act of
laughter could make us feel happy. In addition, study shows that laughter can reduce the bloods
cortisol level. Cortisol is a common stress hormone. Since high levels of cortisol have proven to
weaken the immune system, laughter can help to fight diseases. Furthermore, laughter may
reduce inappropriate immune responses. In 2007, allergy researcher Hjime Kimata from Japan
studied how laughter increased the amount of the hormone melatonin in nursing mothers breast
milk, which dampen their babies allergic response to latex and house dust mites.
Humor, rather than laughter is believed to have more benefits for mental and physical
health. Unlike laughter, humor is a sense of intellectual perspective. We laugh at funny jokes
because we understand the logical twists of the jokes. By the nature of humor it allows for a
separation in our minds between harmful events and the situations reality in our own lives.
Hence humor can protect our feelings. In the study conducted by researchers in 1990, 53
students were told they would receive an electric shock in 12 minutes, some of them listened to a
funny tape prior to the shock and others heard a dull speech or nothing. The ones who heard the
funny tape were less anxious about the imaginary shock than the others.
Humor not only can eases anxiety, but also can create emotional resilience. Psychologist
Willibald Ruch and his co-workers created a measure of cheerfulness and sense of humor named
the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory (STCI). People scored high on this test means they have a
cheerful personality and laughs easily. In Ruchs study, 72 students who took the STCI test were
arranged to stay in three rooms decorated differently: one cheerful room, one depressing
room and one serious room. Among all people the cheerful ones were affected less by the
ambience of the rooms. Vice versa, individuals with lower STCI scores were put in a bad mood
when they stayed in the depressing and serious rooms. Cheerfulnesss buffering power can help
people get through difficult times. Happy people can see the up side of negative things which
allow them to cope with crisis better.
Other than its buffering power, humor also can have painkilling effects. Norman Cousins
story best illustrates this idea. Not just Cousins, back in 1928, New York physician James J.
Walsh discovered that laughter may alleviate pain after surgery. Humors painkilling properties
were later studied by many researchers. One 1996 study showed that after orthopedic surgery,
patients needed less painkillers after watching funny movies compare to patients watched serious
flicks or nothing at all.
Whats more, humors painkilling properties need enjoyment but not necessarily laughter.
Humor can only benefit our health through make us laugh, create emotional resilience, and even
relieve pain when we can understand and appreciate it. Cheerfulness is what makes people enjoy
jokes more and laugh readily. Cheerful people are easier to make friends with others because of
their lighthearted way of interacting with people. Psychologists reported that women find men
with a sense of humor more attractive and men are more into women who enjoy jokes and laughs
easily.
With all the benefits humor can bring to people, some psychologists and mental health
experts are using it as a therapy for stress and mild depression. A study shows that humor
training program helped mentally healthy people became more naturally cheerful and happier
with their lives. Psychiatrist Marc Walter reported that 10 elderly depressed patients were given
the humor training in addition to medication. The result indicates that humor played an important
role in lifting those patients spirits and making them more satisfied with their lives. However,
some patients with more serious psychiatric problems have trouble see the humor in many jokes
because of their social or memory impairments. For most of us who understand humor may
enjoy many benefits it brings: it can calm us down and help us overcome stress and fear; it can
make us more attractive and friendly; it even can help us relieve pain.
According to the article our facial expression can affect our emotion; therefore the
physical act of laughing may put us in a good mood. Social psychologist Fritz Strack and his
colleagues experiment illustrate this theory. Volunteers were asked to hold a pen with their teeth
to create a happy expression or hold a pen with their lips to create a frown. Happy expression
puts participants in a better mood and reacted more enthusiastically. Those holding the pencil
with their lips had a frown and were less exuberant when shown the same cartoons.
This idea is interesting because its the opposite of our conventional view on the
relationship between facial expressions and emotions. The textbook introduced facial feedback
hypothesis which suggests that our facial expressions influence our emotional experience. This
hypothesis indicates that people can initiate emotions through facial movements. Base on the
modern biopsychological view which says each of the three principal factors in an emotional
response: the perception of the emotion-inducing stimulus, and the autonomic and somatic
responses to the stimulus, and the experience of the emotion can influence one another; facial
expression which is a somatic response may have the power to initiate an emotional state when
none is present.
Additionally, facial expression may affect emotions during ongoing emotional
experiences. For instance, if someone is sad, frowning can make this person feel sadder, or
smiling can make this person feel bittersweet. However, smiling when a person feels sad may not
make this person feel completely happy. The degree of facial expression affect on emotion is not
too significant. I believe that subtle changes of emotions can be induced by facial expressions.
But I disagree with emotions can only be triggered by facial expressions. I think emotions can
occur with or without facial movement. For example, patients who suffer from facial paralysis
can still experience emotions.
Since we can voluntarily control our expressions, we can try to use it as a method of
improving our mood. Put on a smile can make us feel happier. Laughing is also a good exercise
to improve our mood.





The article suggests that laughing can strengthen our immune system by causing a drop of
the stress hormone cortisol in the blood and increasing the activity of immune cells. This idea is
interesting because we know a strong immune system helps us stay away from diseases, if
laughter can boost our immune system, it would be the best medicine for us to prevent sickness.
We learned that chronic stressors, such as caring for an ill relative or being unemployed for a
while, weaken our immune system and disrupt our health. Laughter can physically improving
our resistance to disease.
I agree with the author on laughters positive effect on immune system. A new study at
Indiana State University found roaring with laughter can boost the immune system by up to 40
percent. In 33 healthy women, half of them watched a comedy video and the others watched a
dull video on tourism. Researchers took samples of the womens immune cells after the videos
were over. They mixed the immune cells with cancer cells and found that the women who
laughed out loud at comedy had significantly stronger immune cells than the other participants.
Not just laughter, humor shifts perspective, allowing us to see situations in a more realistic,
less threatening way. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance which can help us
avoid feeling overwhelmed. Humor can help us fight off the feeling of stress, before it weakens
the immune system.
Laughter and humor are the best medicine for mind and body. Nothing works faster to bring
our mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Laughter can make us leave anxiety,
anger, or sadness behind; its also the best natural pain killer. Humor lightens our burdens,
inspires hopes, and connects us to others. With so much power, the ability to laugh easily and
frequently is a excellent resource for overcoming problems, enhancing relationships, and
maintaining both physical and mental health.


Source
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-176175/Why-laughter-best-cure.html