Effects of Positive Thought

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.

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.

Mouse vs Mouse Trap

COACH HINES- Saturday detention

Coach Hines Saturday Detention

Trini Slap Chop

Slap Chop Trini Remix (funny)

Happiness and Health- Outside Sources

THESIS
By making daily routines pleasurable, one can achieve greater levels of happiness and therefore be healthier in both the mind and body

ARTICLES
1. Are happier people healthier people? the relationship between perceived happiness personal control, BMI and health preventive behaviors.
2. Health, happiness and health promotion.
3. Life's keys to happiness?
4.Rasciute, Simona and Downward, Paul "Health or Happiness? What Is the Impact of Physical Activity on the Individual?" Kyklos. May 2010

SUMMARY
The article shows what effects physical activity such as sports participation and active travel have on self reported health and well-being. For example, it is recognized that well-being can be linked more to psychological health and higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction and quality of life.

Cultivating Happiness in Relationships - Final

            Romantic love is one of the most spoken-about topics throughout the world. Most people can relate to a time in which they claim to have fallen in love. Although this is true, love remains a topic deeply misunderstood. It is an event that many claim to have experienced, but yet it does not have a universal definition. People experience love differently because they distinctively define it and therefore establish different credentials for nurturing the relationship. Many relationships prosper but many also fail. Unhealthy relationships often share common grounds for failure. Among the numerous reasons for why romantic love fails to conquer in relationships is that partners often fail to cultivate each other’s qualities to find happiness within each other.

            Although it is a term that cannot be universally defined, many people experience it similarly. This alone implies that at some point of its existence, love must share common grounds amongst all people. Love is a connection that reins between hearts. There are many distinct manifestations of love. It can exist as a passion for sport, family ties between brothers and sisters, romantic love for another being, etc. It is this form of love: romantic love, which is most deeply misunderstood.  In his book, Tal Ben Shahar describes romantic love as “the passionate attachment between two people” (112). This in many cases suites the description of what people claim to experience; “passionate attachment”. But, not all people reach the same levels of love. Then if not all people reach the same levels of love, there cannot be a universal definition of love. In its more advanced states, love becomes evident in the actions of its bearers.

In describing romantic love in long-lasting relationships, the abnormal behavioral patterns of its constituents will further assess the word’s meaning. A new romance will have both partners do things for the other to obtain a sought happiness. From the moments of its conception, a romantic relationship will establish ties between both members. These ties, or bonds, will strengthen over time. The time-solidified bonds then begin to change the way partners behave with each other. A man seeking the happiness of his beloved girlfriend may write her a poem, knowing that she is very much into poetry. Furthermore, he learns that she likes vanilla ice-cream, so he buys her a vanilla ice cream cake for her birthday. She too seeks to bring happiness into his life. She, just as him, has found inspiration rooting from the magnitude of love she feels for him. In her attempt she attends his soccer games and cheers to her capacity from the bleachers to show her support to the crowd and show him her love. But this alone will not suffice for her. To bring him closer to his distant-mother’s kitchen savor, she cooks him the most delightful meal from his mother’s recipes. These behaviors begin to describe a much deeper meaning of romantic love.

But in loving romantically and enduring a relationship with similar behavioral patterns, both parties must know and understand the other well. Knowing the other constituent of a relationship is fundamental for the cultivation of each other’s qualities. From the previously illustrated behaviors, each member had to have prior knowledge of his/ her counterpart’s tastes, likes, dislikes and all alike. Tal Ben-Shahar validates this idea by stating that “we cultivate intimacy by knowing and being known. We can then deepen our intimacy by acting on our knowledge of one another – engaging in activities that are meaningful and pleasurable to ourselves as well as to our partner” (121). This idea of knowing and being known strengthens romances.

Love ties between lovers should naturally bring about a desire to know and understand the other companion fully. It is then that we use these learned strengths, weaknesses hopes, dreams, aspirations and the like to aid the other partner. Understanding and knowing does not take root in mere superficial question and answer about each other’s character or past. It requires the careful assessment of the one’s character, the analysis of one’s actions and cautious consideration for disregarded details. The process of understanding is rigorous in itself because the investigation will not be adequate from plain conversation. This deep understanding for one another will become explicit upon the discovery of a partner’s “core self” as mentioned by Tal Ben-Shahar. He describes the core self as “our deepest and most stable characteristics – our character. It comprises the actual principles by which we live, which are not necessarily synonymous with the ones we claim to follow. Because we cannot observe a core self directly, the only way for us to know a person’s character is through its manifestations, through the person’s behavior, which is observable” (114). Upon understanding a person’s core self, one can then begin to engage in activities that correlate to that person’s core interests, those that resonate to the traits of his/ her character. By someone realizing that their partner shows fear in taking risks, the other partner will then be led to make less risky decisions to affect the stance of their relationship. A person may have a job offer to move a distance. The other partner will be unable to move along, thereby risking the health of the relationship. Thus, by not taking the risk, he/she will not instill fear into the other and consequently not question the health of the relationship.

Understanding each other will then lead to the cultivation of one another’s character. Here is when the development of a behavioral pattern begins. For now, there is a genuine understanding of the counterpart’s tastes. Then one will develop patterns and follow guidelines created by a desire to achieve his/ her happiness. The desire to achieve mutual happiness is instrumental to the establishment of long-lasting ties of love between partners. If this desire exists without the understanding and cultivation of each other’s character, there will be an imbalance and therefore trigger a failing relationship. A healthy, well-balanced romance overcomes many contributing factors, both internal and external, to the relationship. But with a limited vision and cultivation of a counterpart’s character, a well suited remedy for happiness in the relationship becomes ever more distant.  Tal Ben Shahar fully encapsulates this idea and powerfully concludes that “over time, as we get to know one another and spend time together engaged in activities that we care about most, we build a foundation that can weather inevitable storms as well as provide fertile ground for love, and happiness, to blossom”(121).

Work Cited

Ben-Shahar, Tal. Happier. NewYork: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.