Using Laughter as Medicine

Laughter in healing Studies of the physiology of mirthful laughter, scientifically known as gelotology, are a fairly recent phenomenon. Descriptions of convalescence through positive emotional states have renewed interest in the healing potential of mirthful laughter. Norman Cousins' accounts of the therapeutic effects of laughter during his treatment and recovery from ankylosing spondylitis

Laughter also proves a vital role in helping the patients deal with their problems. Not only does it help them deal with problems but it also gave them the push toward progress on getting out of the institution.

1. Information (sub-point): While watching The Office, you’re bound to laugh at some point during the show whether it is one of Jim’s pranks on Dwight, or one of Stanley’s sassy comments, or from one of the many times Michael says “That’s what she said”. But what you may not know is that by laughing you’re actually helping you’re immune system out. A two-month study done in Taiwan gathered sixty- seven seventh graders and split them up into two groups. (Chang, 2013). One group read and did homework during study hall while the other group did a forty-five minute intervention. In this intervention, the students were first relaxed by breathing exercises, and then they were, “asked to release bottled up emotions” like saying they were afraid or cold (Chang, 2013). After they expressed their emotions, they laughed for two to three minutes. It was seen that after this experiment, the experimental group had lowered their levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, while the control group’s cortisol levels had stayed the same. (Chang, 2013). This is wonderful because according to the Mayo Clinic Staff (2011), the overexposure to cortisol can lead to weight gain, digestive problems, heart disease, and sleep problems. So you see, just by laughing from The

Laughing in itself is therapeutic. People laugh for many different reasons. Some people even laugh when something horrible occurs, it is a method of escape from what horrors or mishaps are going on around you. "Many psychotherapists find humor a valuable tool in helping their patients to solve their social and emotional problems." (G. Samuel) Chief bromden was

Shoes- Don’t judge, advise, or change emotions towards someone without walking in their shoes. 2) Laughter: 1-Aside from improving our moods, laughter can reduce stress, help fight infection, and reduce pain.

nformative speechINFORMATIVE SPEECH Speech Title: Laughter is the best medicine. Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the benefits of laughter. Central Idea/ Thesis statement: There are several benefits of laughter in terms of physical, mental and social.

Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, portrays humor in a powerful, obvious form. Usually, mentally-unstable people do not understand what it means to laugh and simple do not see humor in the everyday things other high-functioning people do. Their lives, lived tragically, consist of them wandering the

Patch may have been on to something since science itself claims laughter is good for the human body. For one, decreasing the pain you feel and helping your blood vessels to function better; allowing them to expand which increases blood flow. All of which is good for the heart and brain. (Hara Estroff Marano,

Laughter is contagious; much more infectious than any sneeze, sniffle, or yawn out there. When laughter is shared amongst a group, it forms a bond and spreads happiness throughout. Laughter is also known to increase confidence, even on the worst of days. In Ken Kesey's novel, One Flew Over the

The book, Anatomy of an Illness, by Norman Cousins is a story of his self-prescribed treatment to his collagen illness; ankylosing spondylitis which causes the breakdown of the connective tissue in the spine. Norman was a member of the New York Evening Post, Current History, and a staff member of the Saturday Review of Literature. After suffering horrible reactions to the drugs he was given, Norman was determined to find an alternative to heal his body and took matters in his own hands upon approval from his physician. He did his research and found that when you have negative emotions in the body it produces negative chemical changes in the body. This lead Cousins to believe that positive emotions in the bodies would produce positive chemical changes in the body. After Cousins was told that he had little chance of surviving, he worked hard to develop a recovery program that incorporated mega doses of Vitamin C. Other than hope, love, and faith, he concluded that there should be laughter in his positive emotional therapy. He reported that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter has an anesthetic effect and would give him at least two hours of pain-free sleep. Watching the television show “Candid Camera,” viewing movies, and listening to books being read to him, would all lead to another pain-free interval by stimulating his laughter. With time, Norman experienced gradual improvements and the loss of some symptoms. He even began to regain most of his lost movement in his

Self-Development Exercise Psychodynamic Theories For this self-development exercise I will look at my anxieties through the lens of id, ego, superego, and my defense mechanisms. I will focus mostly on my self-esteem, self-image, and my motivational drive throughout this paper. The id is the unconscious mind trying to get all of its

Laughter tends to spread effortlessly among people and chimps when we see it happening around us. So why do the people around us affect our behavior? When someone laughs it's almost impossible not to join in. There are laughing therapies that people attend because humans love to laugh. De Waals chimps laugh during games and he can’t help but expresses a laugh of his own. Chimps join each other into the same behavior as easily as humans do. Shared laughter is one example of primate sensitivity. The same thing happens when a person yawns, it's contagious. This is because our bodies can't resist the urge to yawn. It’s easy to catch on to someone else's behavior such as, synchronization: running when others run, crying when others cry or yawning

Laughter is something that breaks tensions, forms bonds between its victims, and can cheer up your day. It has been scientifically proven that laughter sends rushes of dopamine (the brain’s happy “drug”) to the brain, in which results in you being in a better mood. Everyone is different; hence, everyone will find their own definition of what is funny. Though, there are usually socially acceptable things to laugh at and to not within a community. For example, in America, it is not socially acceptable to laugh if you find out someone has died, or if someone is severely injured. First instinct is to cry, consult the family, and have alone time. However, in Felicidade Eterna, their first instinct is to make it a positive situation and laugh it

Humor and The Immune System Many would argue that cancer is no laughing matter. However, some science experimentation suggests that humor may be medicinal. The purpose of this article is to explain how humor is thought to affect the immune system, analyze results of pertinent research and studies, and provide an opinion on whether humor has an impact on the immune system, either positive or negative.

Norman Cousins said, “Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions" (Moss 1). Humor is studied by many researchers in sociology, psychology, art, literature, and medicine. When people wonder whether humor aids in areas other than health, a treasure trove of possible benefits to the learning or educational community is opened up. Humor can be used as a tool to promote learning.Research speaks to the many benefits of humor in healing, to its benefits in the classroom or boardroom, from reducing stress of students or employees, to boosting self-esteem and feelings of camaraderie. Additionally, studies show that those who use humor to convey a message are often more favorably perceived. Humor helps deliver the presenter's message to