Laugh to get cured

Many years ago, Norman Cousins was diagnosed as “terminally ill”. He was given six months to live. His chance for recovery was 1 in 500.

He could see the worry, depression and anger in his life contributed to, and perhaps helped cause his disease. He wondered, 

“If illness can be caused by negativity, can wellness be created by positivity?”

He decided to make an experiment of himself. Laughter was one of the most positive activities he knew. He rented all the funny movies he could find – Keaton, Chaplin, Fields, the Marx Brothers. (This was before VCRs, so he had to rent the actual films.) He read funny stories. He asked his friends to call him whenever they said, heard or did something funny.

His pain was so great he could not sleep. Laughing for 10 solid minutes, he found, relieved the pain for several hours so he could sleep.

He fully recovered from his illness and lived another 20 happy, healthy and productive years. (His journey is detailed in his book, Anatomy of an Illness) He credits visualization, the love of his family and friends, and laughter for his recovery.

Research has shown that laughing for 10 – 15 minutes a day burns up to 40 calories and relaxes muscles for up to 45 minutes. Even more importantly, laughter boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, and stimulates the release of endorphins. Frequently described as ‘happiness hormones’, endorphins are released during physical sensation and activity and are responsible for feelings of euphoria and pain relief. Opiate and opioid pain medication actually work by binding to the same receptors that endorphins affect. While opiates are necessary in unfortunate situations that require anaesthesia, the brain is actually pretty good at stimulating opiate receptors by releasing its own hormones. Endorphin release leads to an increase of positive emotions, which definitely qualifies it as a laughing matter.

While smiling and laughing are clearly beneficial to physical health, they seem to have an even more powerful effect on mental health. Crawford and Caltabiano (2011) conducted an experiment that involved the use of a group humour skills program.

The study found that participants who were “trained in humour” by the program showed increased self-efficacy, positive thinking, optimism and perceptions of control, and decreased negative thinking and depression and anxiety symptoms, as compared with untrained participants. Knowing what to say to make others laugh can actually help protect you against common mental health problems. Most importantly, knowing your way around humour helps reinforce a positive state of mind.

Courtesy -https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/laugh-day-keeps-doctor-away/

Laughter is inner jogging -Norman Cousins

Laugh until your belly hurts, and then just a little bit more! studies also show that when we flex our facial muscles into any expressions of joy, we produce the effects on our nervous system that go with real joy

Need a Laugh? Hold a Pencil in Your Teeth

https://www.realclearscience.com/lists/7_strange_facts_psychology/pencil_teeth_laughing.html

In 1988, psychologists found that subjects who held a pencil in their teeth while watching cartoons found them funnier than subjects who held a pencil with their lips. Why? Because holding a pencil with your teeth forces your mouth into a smiling position, while holding a pencil in your lips makes you frown. The ingenious study lent support to the facial feedback hypothesis, which states that facial movement can influence our emotions.