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Essays about the positive effects of laughter on emotional and physical health
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Humour as tool of intervention
Laughter Therapy
Laughter therapy started in the 1970s and is a non-invasive, complementary and alternative therapy (Cousins,1976) Laughter therapy, which uses humour to improve quality of life, decrease pain, reduce stress and has become a therapy trend according to recent studies (Weiss,2002;Balick&Lee,2003;Bennett,Zeller,Rosenberg,&McCann.2003 MacDonald,2004;) The merits of this therapy are that it is easy to recommend and does not cause contrary effects with respect to side effects dose, allergies, and (Strean,2009) Around the world, there are several laughter therapy clinics operated with the purpose of emancipating anti-stress and increasing happiness by practicing laughter,( Ghodsbin, Ahmadi, Jahanbin,
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Therefore, laughter therapy can be a series of cognitive-behavioural therapies that helps to make physical, psychological, and social relationships healthy and ultimately improves the quality of life (Ko and Youn 2011). It has taken a very long time for laughter to become a recognized medical therapy. Dr. William Fry of Stanford University School of Medicine developed a theory of laughter therapy, and found that humour and laughter produced natural painkillers in pituitary, such as endorphins, improved blood circulation, and decreased stress (Fry and Salameh …show more content…
There is an upheaval in the rise Mind-related diseases like nervous breakdowns anxiety, sleeplessness and depression. Laughter had a positive effect on many people who were on heavy anti-depressant pills and tranquillizers. Now they are getting better quality of sleep and decrease in the depressive symptoms.
High Blood Pressure and Heart disease: There are a number of factors that causes high blood pressure and heart disease like smoking, drinking heredity, obesity, and excessive intake of fats, but one of the most important factors that lead to high blood pressure and heart disease is stress. Laughter definitely helps to control blood pressure by reducing the release of stress related hormones and bringing relaxation.
Natural Pain Killer: Laughter plays a vital role in increase of endorphins in our bodies, which is considered to be natural pain killers. Norman Cousins, an American journalist who was suffering from incurable disease of the spine was benefited with laughter therapy when no painkiller could help him. It was found that endorphins help in reducing the intensity of pain in those suffering from spondylitis arthritis, and muscular spasms of the body. Many women have reported a reduced frequency of migraine and tension
As the story continues and McMurphy’s influence over the patients strengthens, the reader sees other occasions where the laughter is healing. With McMurphy’s big, boisterous laugh dominating the ward, the patients begin to laugh themselves. Their laughs sound awkward at first- forced, simulated- but nevertheless they are laughing and whether the patients, or Bromden realize it, this phony laugh does begin to heal them.
When a society replaces medicine for laughter, people are going to have problems just as the patients did in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. McMurphy, along with today's society, believes that laughter truly is the best medicine, and one cannot live a normal, sane life without it.
This book is about so many things, it is hard to stay on one topic for any length of time. In order to focus on the laugh and laughing as a healing agent, I would like to look towards other influential writers and thinkers to tie together laughing and healing. First, let’s see what laughter is according to Meriam Webster: laughter- n. a cause of merriment. Using this simple definition, we can assume that laughter can come from any form of merriment or emotion like triumph, contempt, relief, and almost any other emotion there is. It is easy to picture in your head different underlying emotions in laughter; the sinister laughs of witches and ghosts, the insincere, fake laughs you hear after pointless, humorless attempts at jokes on the six o’clock news, to the silent laughs of mimes and clowns that fill the people around them with a happy feeling. These are all examples of what laughter is and how it is used. But why do we do it? What in nature created the laugh and made it so successful?
Many members of our society have sculpted their listeners into fooling their selves into believing that there are only two types of “happy”, happy or depressed. This leads to individuals suppressing their problems or believing they are suffering from a chronic illness when sadness is just a natural emotion that a person faces throughout their lifetime. Begley mimics “get over it: take a pill” (558). When living in a world where not being “happy” can provoke your friends and family to encourage drug use or choose to decline spending time with you until you are “happy again may cause many people to not even tell someone they are having problems which can result in the sadness to increase. It is soothing to know not all experts would say you are sick and need help just for an ordinary feeling. A lay reader that has no idea of what most psychologist feels about the evading happiness situation, may have thought all professionals insist on everyone being happy even when they have no desire
Many people normally call the moment of satisfaction and joy happiness, but they cannot properly define what happiness is and how to pursue it. Happiness is not measureable. Happiness can be shared with others, but cannot trade. Once people are in a stage of being happy, they enjoy their work, achievements and even feel better than others; however, how are they sure that they experience happiness? Is crying an emotional expression of enjoying happiness? In the article “Ignorance of Bliss,” Steve Salerno, a freelance writer, discusses about the value of happiness and explains to people about the feeling of being happy. He interprets his arguments and provides examples to enhance his ethos, but his ideas are not sufficient enough to persuade
Laughter is an interesting topic. Mainly because of the lack of thought that goes with it as to why we laugh. In an article titled Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic by Henri Bergson, the theory behind why things are funny is explored. He mentions many different things in his article pertaining to the comic, however, there are a few that stand out more than others. He talks directly about the fact that things are only funny if they relate to humans. Then he touches on the idea that accidents are funnier than planned events. Finally, he speaks on laughter being directly related to social setting. The 1992 film Noises Off is a perfect demonstration of everything that Bergson writes about. Henri Bergson’s essay on laughter is perfectly supported by the film Noises Off.
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.
Sean O’Casey once said that, “Laughter is wine for the soul - laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness - the hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living.” Without laughing, man is not living fully. For the men in the novel, One Who Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, they are in a mental institution and are repressed by their head nurse until a new patient, McMurphy, comes in laughing an changing the way everything is ran, turning the insane sane. In the novel, laughter is a symbol of sanity and it helps a person grow stronger, so when the men laugh they grow more confident and obtain the ability to overcome the Nurses’ power.
These are emotions that help us to be social. They include compassion, joy, love, loneliness, and euphoria. Scientists have been acting narrowly thus focusing on negative pro-social emotions. Of late, this perspective has been broadened to have the scientists think upright and be constructive. There are emotions such as altruism, gratitude, and forgiveness increases the mental health and well being of people and those who surround them. One can understand the aspects that lead to pro-social emotions. Such emotions start from the group and later affect an individual. The pro-social emotions can help improve the well being of an individual plus their mental health. Mental health involves psychological well being. This means, there is no spiritual illness (Colins, Oliver, & Henrik, 198). Broadly, psychological health is the mental state of a person functioning at an emotional level that is satisfactory. An individual would enjoy life under holism, or the constructive mental health. Prosocial emotions, therefore, contribute to the good health of people's
...py, the thoughts of my unhappiness are sitting beside me. I believe that I have progressed a lot already, without help of others but through my strength and only my willpower alone. Now that I have researched this disorder, and saw that there are many factors and perspectives that can root to my depression, I will start moving backwards and re-write my wrongs and put my life back on the right track. In “Man’s search for meaning,” Dr. Frankl said “If you want anyone to laugh you have to provide him with a reason.” Writing this paper has made me realize that I am not alone with my problems, my worries, and my sadness, but instead, there are many people out there who are experiencing the same if not worse scenarios as me. I will continue to search for that reason. Just because I got myself out of the extreme slump does not mean I am finished; I am only half-way there.
Richman, J. The lifesaving function of humor with the depressed and suicidal elderly. Gerontologist 35(2): 271 (1995).
Feeling down and depressed? Laugh all those troubles away. Laughter is a simple yet substantial way of putting that little spring back in the step. When people say “Laughter is the best medicine,” what are they referring to? Laughing acts as calorie burner, prevents heart disease or other illnesses, can increase learning abilities and focus, or even bring a more optimistic outlook on life.
Hypertension: this occurs under high stress levels and increase the body’s risk of having a stroke, heart attack or kidney failure. The burnout phase of stress can contribute to a permanent high blood pressure.
My observation took place at a table beside Starbucks and on the inside of the Cook Library at USM. I sat down and began to people watch, trying to find students doing everyday “student-like” activities. By “student-like”, I mean studying, looking for a book, typing papers, browsing the web, interacting with others, etc. As I started watching, I realized most people seemed to have happy expressions, in fact, my study showed that about fifty percent of the people being observed showed happy expres...
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and