Laughter is a great medicine – is that true?

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Laughter is a great medicine – is that true? (click here for more info)

This article is taken from : http://www.arlenetaylor.org/brain-laughter/1219-laughter-humor-and-the-brain-n-z and I would love to share it with you.

Negotiations

Laughter is a sheer moment of pleasure. The right joke or right moment of levity can reduce tensions to the point that two adversaries can return to negotiations. Humor shatters preconceptions at the moment when people are forming new perceptions. (Baldoni, John. Laughter as Learning. Monthly Website column, 1998.)

Oxygen

Benefits include stress reducer, improving performance, enhancing self-esteem, promoting creativity, strengthening the immune system, improving ability to negotiate and make decisions, increases breathing rate, clears mucus from lungs, increases oxygen delivered to cells, stimulates enzymes that function as natural laxatives, and improves digestion. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. p 541-560. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.

Laughter tends to expand lungs and increases blood and oxygen circulation similar to the way deep breathing or exercise does. Anger and stress do the reverse. (Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20 / 20 Thinking. p 104. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003.)

Pain Relief

Study by Norman Cousins: Ten minutes of genuine belly laugher had an anesthetic effect that produced at least two hours of pain-free sleep. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind Body Health. p 542-547. NY: Allyn and Bacon, 1996.)

Studies: laughter can raise pain thresholds. Reports of Norman Cousins: 10 minutes of belly laughter gave him 2 hours of pain-free sleep. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD, and David Sobel, MD. Healthy Pleasures. 217-220. MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1989.)

Studies: laughter and humor can relieve physical and emotional pain. They stimulate the brain to release endorphins. Reports on Cousins: 10 minutes of belly laughter gave him 2 hours of pain-free sleep. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. p 550-560. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.)

Laughter works like anesthetic; 10 minutes of belly laughter provided cousins with a minimum of 2 hours of pain-free sleep. (Sobel, David S., and Robert Ornstein, MD. The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook. p 49-59. NY: Patient Education Media, Inc., 1996.)

The ability of laughter to reduce pain is undoubtedly partly due to its reduction of muscle tension. Even brief relaxation procedures have been shown to reduce pain--both in laboratory and clinical settings. (McGee, Paul E. Humor and Health.)

100 laughs equal the energy expended in 10 minutes of rowing. Laughter can increase healing and relieve pain. (Edell, Dean, MD. Eat, Drink & Be Merry. p 128-129. NY: HarperCollins, 1999.)

Outlines benefits including strengthening the immune system, helping with stress and pain management, increasing lung ventilation, lowers blood pressure, and is good preventive medicine. (Neylsen-Cannarella, Sandra L., PhD. The Immunology of Humor. Vol 26, No. 4, p. 28-34. January. WA: Spectrum, 1998.)

Panic

Panic is a common characteristic of serious illness. Suggests that laughter can be used to replace panic. (Restak, Richard, MD. The Mind. p 158-159. NY: Bantam Books, 1988.)

Paranoia

People who are paranoid generally are humorless. (Miller, Lawrence, PhD. Inner Natures. Brain, Self & Personality. p 151-152. NY: Ballantine Books, 1990.)

Performance

A sense of humor helps improve performance, individual and group. It can provide a sense of power. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. 546-547. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.)

Planned Spontaneity

Planned spontaneity is the process of building your humor repertoire so that you can access it whenever you wish to do so. (Sultanoff, Steven, M., PhD. What is Humor?)

Politics

Serious subjects (e.g., religion, politics, sex) have a greater potential for being funny. Offers examples from medical professionals who use humor and laughter to manage high-tension situations. (Padus, Emrika, et al. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. p 65-70. PA: Rodale Press, 1992.)

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Humor helped Vietnam prisoners of war survive abuse and torture without developing overwhelming PTSD. (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 78. CE Express.) Henman, L.D. Humor as a Coping Mechanism: Lessons from POWs. Humor, p 83-94. 2001.)

Pretend – Fake it ‘til you make it

When you fake a chuckle your body reacts as if you had expressed a sincere laugh. (Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20 / 20 Thinking. p. 108. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003.)

Pretend to be full of fun and laughter even if you don’t feel like that at the moment. Go through the motions at first and you’ll get there. You can learn to develop your funny bone. (Padus, Emrika, et al. Editor. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. p 544-547. PA: Rodale Press, 1992.)

Problem-Solving

Laughter (at jokes) can help people solve problems that demand creative solutions (e.g., help them think more broadly and associate ideas/relationships more freely). (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. 84-86. NY: Bantam Books, 1995.)

After viewing funny movies people were able to consider problems in new creative ways, and tended to find solutions with more innovation and ingenuity. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD, and David Sobel, MD. Health Pleasures. p 218-220. NY: Addison-Wesley, 1989.)

People need dual vision: an ability to be serious and see humor at the same time. This can help one deal with a broader range of problems. (Padus, Emrika, et al. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. p 65-70. PA: Rodale Press, 1992.)

Humor releases tension and gives the use a different perspective on the situation. (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 78. CE Express.)

Public Speaking

Study: heart rates of college students while they were presenting impromptu speeches. Significantly lower rates among students who had watched an episode of “Seinfeld” beforehand. (Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. p 393. GA: Bard Press, 1994, 2000.)

Smiling

Smiling is a mild silent form of laughing. (Source)

Quotes

Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility. ¾James Thurber (Sultanoff, Steven, M., PhD. What is Humor?)

Let the surgeon take care to regulate the whole regimen of the patient's life for joy and happiness, allowing his relatives and special friends to cheer him, and by having someone tell him jokes. ¾Henri de Mondeville (1260-1320), French surgeon. (Gallozzi, Chuck. Benefits of Laughter.)

You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself. —Ethel Barrymore (Costa, Arthur L., and Bena Kallick. Finding Humor.)

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. —Dale Carnegie. (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 91. CE Express.)

Relationships

The immediate involuntary action of laughter forms the most direct communication link possible between people, limbic brain to limbic brain. People who relish each other’s company laugh easily and often; those who distrust/dislike each other laugh little, if at all. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. p 12. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.)

Humor allows people to express fear, concern, or anger in a jesting manner, allowing them to “save face” if the other person does not respond kindly (e.g., I was only joking). (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 78. CE Express.)

Hang out with people who laugh. Their company is better than prescription antidepressants! (Beck, Martha, PhD. The Joy Diet. p 166-168. NY: Crown Publishers, 2003.

Couples stay together longer (and may even be more interested in getting married) when they share a similar sense of humor. (Bricklin, Mark, et al. Positive Living and Health. p 337. PA: Rodale Press, 1990.)

It is important to surround yourself with positive people, those who are joyful and laugh.

(Padus, Emrika, et al. Editori. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. p 546-547. PA: Rodale Press, 1992.)

Laughter occurs much more often when people are engaged in social interactions with others than when they are alone. (Martin, Rod A. White Papers. Do Children Laugh Much More Often than Adults Do?)

Healthful humor stimulates wit, mirth, or laughter and creates closeness and intimacy (e.g., pokes fun at oneself and situations). Hurtful humor creates pain and distance and pokes fun at others (e.g., sarcasm, put down, ethnic jokes). (Sultanoff, Steven, M., PhD. What is Humor?)

Studies have shown the importance of the company people keep. People who are surrounded by many happy people are more likely to be happy in the future than those who are surrounded by unhappy people. (Dotinga, Randy. Being Happy Affects Even Those You Don’t Know. US News & World Report. 2008.)

Sharing amusement creates a bond. It helps establish an equal relationship and decreases the sense of perceived hierarchy, even momentarily. There is a difference between laugh WITH someone and laughing AT someone. Humor used to laugh with someone establishes a connection between the individuals involved. (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 78. CE Express.)

Religion

Respiratory

During full-blown laughter, air can rush out of your lungs at rates of 170 miles per hour. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. p 541-560. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.)

Laughter may lead to coughing or hiccupping and coughing. This can help to clear the respiratory tract by dislodging mucus plugs. (Bartekian, Vatche. Laughter Can Cure What Ails You. Ask Men web site.)

Laughter has been shown to increase endorphin levels, stimulate immune function, reduce cortisol, stimulate circulation, massage internal organs, and have positive effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. (Lubbe, Francois. UK Editor for The Healthier Life. Laughter has Potential Medical Benefits.)

Self-Esteem

Serotonin

Dr. Greg Markway: Laughing releases serotonin, increases T cells, increases endorphins and improves the immune system. (Experts Say Laughter Really is Good Medicine.)

Laughter moves lymph fluid around your body, increases oxygenation at both cellular and organ level, increases immune-boosting chemicals such as interleukins, and raises serotonin levels. (Adams, Mike. Laughter is good medicine for reducing stress, enhancing brain chemistry.)

Sleep

Smiles

Psychologist Paul Ekman (Human Interaction Lab at the University of California in San

Francisco) says real and fake smiles have the same positive effects on brain activity, skin temperature, heart rate and respiration. (Gallozzi, Paul. Canadian writer and author of over 200 published articles on personal development. Learning to Laugh.)

SMILE (Subjective Multidimensional Interactive Laughter Evaluation): a humor profile/smile assessment developed by Lee S. Berk, PhD and Barry Bittman, MD. (Loma Linda University School of Medicine news. March 11, 1999. Laughter research conducted at LLUMC)

Women smile more than men do (e.g., in social situations, when alone). Female social smiling begins in infancy. It tends to increase as women age. (Fisher, Helen, PhD. The First Sex. p 97-98. NY: Random House, 1999.)

Changing facial muscles into a smile increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the secretion of positive neurotransmitters. (Sobel, David S., and Robert Ornstein, MD. The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook. p 49-56. NY: Patient Education Media, Inc., 1996.)

Stress

Learning to laugh again may be essential for emotional coping following a disaster situation. (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 84-85. CE Express.)

Research by Barb Fisher, University of Minnesota: 20 seconds of a good, hard belly laugh is worth three minutes on the rowing machine. Other benefits include: stress reduction, enhanced immune system, strengthened cardiovascular functions, increased oxygenation, improved muscle tone, and helps with digestion and constipation. (Brown, Tata Nicole, managing editor. Holistic Times, Vol 15, No 4, p 27. (Clayton College of Natural Health). Alabama.)

Humor/laughter can decrease stress, lower blood pressure, relax muscle tension, moderate pain, and boost immune defenses. (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. p 90-92. PA: Rodale, 2003.)

Laughter appears to reduce levels of certain stress hormones (that suppress the immune system, increase platelet levels in arteries, and raise blood pressure). Laughter provides a safety valve that shuts off the flow of stress hormones and the fight-or-flight compounds that come into play in times of stress, rage or hostility. (Bartekian, Vatche. Laughter Can Cure What Ails You. Ask Men web site.)

Research participants had lower levels of stress hormones just anticipating watching a humorous video. Those who manage stress well tend to use humor to deal with difficult situations. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. 546-547, 550-560. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.)

Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like:

• Cortisol: the primary hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the blood stream
• Ephinephrine (Adrenaline): increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies
• Dopamin: is involved in the “fight or flight response” and associated with elevated blood pressure
(Ayasrah, Najla'a. Stress Relief By Laughter.)

Study: moderate conditioned laughter and moderate conditioned exercise both help to create a state of eustress (desirable stress). (Presented in an interview with Dr. Lee S. Berk. Dunn, Joseph R., PhD, Ed. New Discoveries in Psychoneuroimmunology Humor & Health Letter. Vol III. No 6, Nov/Dec. MS: 1994.)

Laughter produces responses almost identical to those associated with progressive muscle relaxation, a stress-relief technique. Lists 11 strategies for using humor and laughter. Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20 / 20 Thinking. p 101-120. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003.)

Under acute stress, the two hemispheres of the brain become disconnected. Laughter improves creativity and problem-solving, and activates the limbic system in the brain, connecting the right and left sides. It helps you do more whole brain work. (O’Donnell, Sinara Stull. Laugh More at Work To Ease Office Stress. www.Careerjournal.com)

Levels of stress hormones (epinephrine, cortisol) were lowered after subjects watched an hour of comic entertainment. (Ornstein, Robert, PhD, and David Sobel, MD. Healthy Pleasures. p 217-219. MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1989.)

Decreases stress-related tension, provides immediate relief from pressure, and builds up an immunity to stress in the long term. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. p 550-560. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.)

Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like:

• Cortisol : the primary hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the blood stream
• Ephinephrine (Adrenaline): increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies
• Dopamin: is involved in the “fight or flight response” and associated with elevated blood pressure

Source

Studies by Berk of Loma Linda University: Mirthful laughter can offset symptoms of chronic stress by diminishing secretion of cortisol and epinephrine while enhancing immune reactivity. Physiological effects of a single one-hour view of a humorous video have appeared to last up to 12-24 hours in some individuals. (http://www.bigmedicine.ca/) Reported April 3, 2006. Berk, Lee S. PhD. Paper presented in an American Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology, 2006.)

Eustress or good stress is created by laughter. An aerobic exercise, laughter can trigger an:

• Increase in T Cell activity
• Increase in IgB that helps antibodies attack dysfunctional/infected cells.
• Increase in natural killer cells (Fawcett, Carole., Stress Management Consultant/Laughter Coach. Laughter Facts.)

In their best-selling book, "The Okinawa Program," based on an ongoing study of elderly people on the Japanese island of Okinawa, Dr. Bradley J. Wilcox, Dr. Craig Wilcox, and Dr. Makoto Suzuki wrote that "during laughter, muscles throughout your body tense and relax in a way that is strikingly similar to stress-reduction techniques. Laughter keeps muscles supple as well as relaxed. It also has been shown to stimulate the immune system." (The Health Benefits of Laughter. The HeyUGLY.org website.)

Three strategies that are the very best at reducing stress: humor, smiles, and laughter. (Benson, Herbert, MD., with Marg Stark. Timeless Healing. p 277-278. NY: Scribner, 1996.)

Humor helps alleviate the effects of stress. In fact, people with a good sense of humor are less likely to get stressed to begin with. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind Body Health. p 547. NY: Allyn and Bacon, 1996.)

The use of humor can help people to get through the stress of a crisis. For example, it was reported that a group of office workers at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, managed to keep going down the last 10 flights by pretending it was New Year’s Eve and counting out loud. Encouraged by the levity, they found the energy to go on and made it safely to the street. (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 83. CE Express.)

Tears

Emotional tears (including tears produced by laughter) contain higher concentrations of proteins and toxins (as compared to tears triggered by slicing onions); they may help the body to get rid of injurious substances. (Dossey, Larry, MD. Healing Beyond the Body. p 136-137. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 2001.)

Tears of sadness and of laughter contain proteins not present in tears from cutting onions or other eye irritations. Both types of tears can help cleanse the body of stress chemicals but sad tears tend to turn us inward and laughter tears tend to turn us outward. (Lipton, Bruce, PhD. The Biology of Belief. p 196-197. CA: Mountain of Love/Elite Books, 2005.)

Tears shed during crying or laughter have a similar chemical composition. Both remove toxins and hormones that are manufactured during periods of stress. (Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. p 555-556. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.)

There are compositional differences between emotional tears and tears that result from something getting into the eye. (Sobel, David S., and Robert Ornstein, MD. The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook. p 56. NY: Patient Education Media, Inc., 1996.)

Teaching or Facilitating

Include home. If possible, make yourself the object of the humor. If you make a mistake or use the wrong words, make light of the situation (e.g., my mouth runs faster than my brain, give me a minute until my brain catches up with my mouth). (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 95-96. CE Express.)

Tips

Provides a dozen specific suggestions for how improving your life through the use of humor and laughter including how to create a humor survival kit. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. 559-560. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996.)

Threats

Amused laughter is often perceived as non-threatening and can be disarming. Life-competent individuals often use this strategy (e.g., react like a “black-belt” would respond to an attack by a child). (Siebert, Al, PhD. The Survivor Personality. p 21-25. NY: A Perigee Book, 1996.)

Tonic

Laughter is an all over body workout. It gives your diaphragm, respiratory, facial, leg, back, and abdominal muscles a workout. Bartekian, Vatche. Laughter Can Cure What Ails You. Ask Men website.)

Workplace

Indicates that employees who laugh together “stay together.” They tend to work better as a team, are more creative, and produce more work. (Swift, Bradford W., and Ann T. Swift. Humor Experts Jazz up the Workplace. p 72-75. HR Magazine, March 1994.)

Woman who can interact easily with the aggressive humor of men in business are a step ahead of woman who negatively interprets these interactions. (Tanenbaum, Joe. Male & Female Realities. p 152-154. NV: Robert Erdmann Publishing, 1990.)

Laughter can enhance brain abilities that are necessary for doing good work. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. p 12. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.)

Humor helps to foster an atmosphere of teawork and may even help to reduce staff turnover. (Schwartz, Enid A., RN, MA, MC. Infusing Humor into Healthcare. p 78-79. CE Express.)

Yoga Laughter

Refer to Laughter Yoga (LY) for additional information.

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