For many of life’s situations, positive thinking will enhance the probability of a positive or desired outcome. Although, this is a statement whose credibility is only valid by those situations in which one’s mentality is on dominant control. For those situations in which external factors contribute a role to whichever weight, a positive thinking may have little to negligible effect on the outcome. Positive thought when related to good health will have limited effects on overall health. Health on the scale would personally be rated a (6). The reasons for such a rating are that in many cases, illness comes from the outside and not from within. Mental health though, is strongly affected by positive thinking being that it is influenced directly by positive thought and psychological stability (internal factor). Romance is a subject of which positive thinking has a light effect on. One’s positive thinking may lead to changes in personality that may in effect create a more socially attractive person. But this too is subject to external factors. Positive thinking may not have an influence on the way a romantic counterpart or the rest of the world perceives you. Romance on the same 0-10 scale would be ranked to a 6. Wealth would be ranked 4. It is something that may be influenced greatly by positive thought. It is not something that will occur magically, but positive thinking will undoubtedly lead to changed behaviors that may ultimately lead to wealth. For instance, in search of greater wealth, positive thinking may lead to part-taking in wealth-leading actions; such as playing the lottery, owning stock, gambling, etc. School success is ranked 3. Similar to wealth, it is greatly impacted by positive thinking. This just as in wealth may lead to enhanced studying habits that will help improve school grades. Career success, ranked 3 is as impacted by thought as is school success. By thinking positively about career success, one may be led to set goals and become more of an achiever. Positive thought may increase a person’s ambition to reach goals and thus enhance the probability for career success.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Hidden Connection between Laughter and Health
Juan Londoño, Emely Luna
Dr. Elizabeth McCormick
ENG101
02 Dec 2010
Laughter is a form of expression towards daily occurrences in which humor is found. Human behavior has unveiled many different forms of laughter; each distinguished from another by the “acoustic properties such as amplitude, pitch, intensity, duration, and timbre” (Mahony 173). A laughter level may also be distinguished by a person’s amount of associated body movement. Among the different laughter intensities are the giggle, cackle, belly laugh, chuckle, roar, etc. When laughing, a person demonstrates happiness, expresses joy, tranquility and an overall ease followed by calmness and relaxation. Laughter is an expression of humor. This expression of humor through laughter can be used as evidence of happiness. Therefore, laughter may be classified as a sub-category of happiness as a whole. Showing happiness through the revelation of a smile or by engaging in a belly laugh are good ways of remaining positive and promoting good health. The effects of laughter on people are linked to positive health conditions and an overall well-being.
There are many ways in which laughter can help contribute to a positive state of health. When a person engages in laughter from a comment, a joke or from any event presumed to be humorous, many physiological events take place. As a response to laughing, there are physical and mental changes that occur within the body. “Vigorous laughter is stimulating- increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and circulation; enhancing circulating immune substance effectiveness, pulmonary ventilation, and alertness; and exercising the skeletal muscles. Following laughter there is a brief period during which blood pressure drops and heart rate, respiratory rate and muscle activity decrease, resulting in relaxation” (Mahony, 172). The aforementioned effects of laughter on the body are all positive attributes to a stable health condition. These resultant by-products of laughing are theoretically conducive to psychological benefits, cardiovascular benefits and immunity. Without regards to the magnitude of laughter a person commits to, the effects are noticeable.
Although the body undergoes a physical stimulus upon laughter, there are also mental effects that take place. The act of laughing suggests a state of being in the absence of pain, sorrow, gloom, depression, etc. In the absence of the mentioned emotions, the mind has a greater ability occupy itself of positive emotions leading to greater happiness. Achieving greater happiness results in reduced stress. In addition to the lack of negativity proposed by the act of laughing, a person is more likely to think positively and be in an overall joyous mood. The psychological effects of laughter on the human body and mind are both linked to the development of better health. Humor is often used as an ice-breaker in the meeting of new people and the establishment of friendships. Furthermore, Alan Simpson, a researcher and lecturer in mental health at City University (London) suggests that “humor is known to have a number of potential benefits in relationship and interpersonal skills or social support. Specific aspects such as empathy, intimacy and interpersonal trust have all been positively correlated with sense of humor and subsequently with interpersonal relationships.” With this positivity offered by a sense of humor and a will to laugh, a person will be more likely to establish a strong self-esteem, self-confidence, be more at ease with him/ herself and have an overall positive outlook on themselves. This in turn helps to reduce the chances of falling into depression and bring about adverse mental negativity.
Humor is often used in the medical field by doctors and nurses to make an effect on the moods and psychological well-being of patients. Although in these cases, the humor and in turn laughter employed aren’t necessarily directly linked to the well-being of the patient, it allows for an indirect relief of the current health condition and therefore aid in the reduction of stress and its related deficiencies. Stress is often relieved through humor (laughter) and in turn enhances people’s ability to cope and negate the negative physical effects of stress. Medical research conducted examinations in which there was a controlled group that were not exposed to humor and an experimental group in which humorous videos were used. This experiment included the “use of minor analgesics amongst orthopedic patients and concluded that the humor group required fewer than the non-humor group” (McCreaddie, 587). This further assesses the correlation between health and humor. Patients exposed to humor showed greater levels of optimism and a will for recovery. Those patients of this experiment as those of clinical hospitals that are commonly treated with laughter showed changes in outlook indicated by self-appraisal of health, overall mood and a level of acceptance of long or painful treatment programs, disabilities, limitations and death (Mahony, 172).
The mentioned effects of laughing on health perhaps don’t show a direct correlation between physical health benefits as much as the mental effects, but extensive research does show a vague correlation. From extensive research conducted by multiple Institutions and Universities, it has been shown that although unclear, physical reactions of the body to laughter and humor do exist. In a study made on 100,000 post-menopausal women ages 50 and older since 1994, it was showed that women who were optimists (expecting good rather than bad things to happen) had decreased mortality rates and were 30% less likely to die from Coronary Artery Disease than women who were pessimists. Furthermore, in the same study, women assessed to be depict greater hostility compared with other women in the study were 23% more likely to die from cancer related causes (Harrowitz, 196). This alone shows a type of connection between emotional states of being and health longevity. In addition, laughter has been shown to make an impact on the body’s caloric digestion. As Dr. William F. Fry noted in a study on laughter, laughing 100 times was estimated to be equivalent in caloric expenditure to 15 minutes on an exercise bicycle or 10 minutes on a rowing machine (Harrowitz, 197). This again brings greater clarity to the connection between humor (laughter) and health. Being that the act of laughing will provide a good source for caloric digestion, its repeated occurrence may be beneficial in exercise.
The further assessment of laughter’s ties with good health lead researchers at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine to use humor-related films on different experimental subjects. This experiment was to demonstrate the effects of humor and stress on factors related to cardiovascular health. The volunteers were randomly selected to watch segments from either a disturbing war movie or a humorous movie and then watch the movies in the reverse order. An astonishingly contrast was noted of the brachial-artery flow after the movie. The results showed an overall decrease in blood flow by 35% during the stress-inducing movie and an increase by up to 22% during the laughter-inducing movie. These effects on the blood flow lasted up to 45 minutes in the patients (Harrowitz, 198). Once again, a vague interpretation of the data collected reveals that a connection between laughter and physical health does indeed exist. Through the experience of emotions of contrasting connotation to happiness or humor, the subjects retreated into stressful mindsets and therefore reflected that through the restricted blood-flow observation.
From the assessment of all the prior-mentioned medical research and self-analysis, it will suffice to conclude in stating that the link from laughter to health is existent. Laughter can be seen as a cure for grief, depression and all the like. In future years of medical development and understanding through research, perhaps laughter with be the leading prescribed medicine to cure a diversity of illnesses. From a universally available drug as happiness through laughter, all socio-economic backgrounds throughout the world may reach or afford both mental and physical well-being. Laughing brings about positive emotions from a person. It also helps in building friendships, relationships, heart-health, immunity and an overall positive outlook on life. Both in theory and in practice, the effects of laughter and genuine happiness have shown an association to positive effects on mental and physical health.
Works Cited
Horowitz, S. "Effect of positive emotions on health: hope and humor." Alternative & Complementary Therapies 15.4 (2009): 196-202. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 25 Nov. 2010
Mahony, Diana L, W Jeffrey Burroughs, and Louis G Lippman. "Perceived attributes of health-promoting laughter: a cross-generational comparison." The Journal Of Psychology 136.2 (2002): 171-181. MEDLINE with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 24 Nov. 2010.
McCreaddie, M, and S Wiggins. "The purpose and function of humour in health, health care and nursing: a narrative review." Journal of Advanced Nursing 61.6 (2008): 584-595. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 27 Nov. 2010.
Simpson, A. "Laughter: the best medicine?." Mental Health Today (2009): 4. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 01 Dec. 2010.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)