healthproject by mallorie nguyen

BY MALLORIE NGUYEN

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:

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V O L U M E

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I S S U E

N O V E M B E R

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Laughter can lower blood pressure

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Just For Laughs

Can decrease

Can Laughing Make You a Healthier Person?

chance of getting heart disease

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How laughter can help people connect to others

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How laughter can improve a mood

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Can Laughing Make You a

Healthier Person? Using Laughter to Connect

Laugh for the Mood

Blood Benefits

Did You Know?

Laughter and the Heart

How to Bring More Humor

Into Your Life

Gelatology, or the study of laughing, has been a major area of research in recent years. Many studies have shown that daily laughter can in fact help disease prevention and improve mental and social health. Laughter is a simple way for people to momentarily release tension and replace distressful thoughts and emotions with positive hormones (3). Doctors also highly recommend laughter daily because it is said to help increase the production of antibodies that protect the body from infection (4). Another benefit of regular laughter is that laughter can help prevent heart disease, which is currently the top cause of death in the United States (1). It has also been proved that people who laugh more often have a higher

life satisfaction rate and emotional well being (2). Doctors say that self esteem and emotional health can correlate with a person’s sense of humor and how often they laugh on a daily basis (2). A

Friends laughing together(4) study by Aurangabad, India and Mississauga, Canada Medical Colleges shows that people who laugh 0-5 times a day (Level 1) have the lowest life satisfaction

and emotional well being out of a survey of 730 people. This study also showed that a growing trend was present with the life satisfaction rates and the number of times people laughed daily. It showed that those who laughed 11-15 times a day (Level 3) had the highest life satisfaction rate (2). People who laughed 6-10 times a day (Level 2), were between levels 1 and 3 in both life satisfaction rates and emotional well being rates, but were slightly lenient to level 3 (2). To conclude, studies have shown that daily laughter have many health benefits. Laughter can increase positive emotions, increase antibody production, lower the risk for heart disease, and improve emotional health and life satisfaction.

Using Laughter to Connect One of the most obvious reasons laughter is a good daily habit is that it allows people to connect with other people. Connecting with others is important because it allows people to gain self esteem and confidence by sharing funny moments (6). Researchers have discovered that laughter is one of the many direct links to emotional health and awareness (2). They believe that having a good sense of

humor and laughing with others can significantly emotional happiness because it allows less time for someone to be alone (6). Laughing with other people also can help build stronger relationships because there is a common thought and moment shared. Laughter can also help unite people through hardships and can help them cope through traumatic events more easily because it helps them momentar-

ily forget their sorrows and replace sad emotions with happiness (6).

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Laugh for the Mood Laughter is one of the best and easiest ways for someone to slip into a good mood. When someone laughs, their distressed, angry, or sad emotions are momentarily replaced with positive happy emotions (3). These happy emotions then induce a good mood, and make a person feel more confident and cheerful. Scientists have recommended that people

A man laughing in a happy mood (3).

should try to find humor in situations that may seem stressful or frustrating, because laughing and being in a good mood can bring the problem back into perspective(6). The ability to laugh at yourself and your little mistakes is another way to put yourself in a good mood. When someone laughs at their mistakes, not only are they staying positive

and optimistic, but they are also acknowledging their mistake and know that it wasn’t a big deal (4). Lastly, laughing and being a good mood can help people get through hard times, because humor and being in a good mood brings people together in happiness.

Blood Benefits of Laughing

“To catch the

Laughter has been recently proven to increasingly lower blood pressure, as well as improve oxygen flow in the blood (4). When someone laughs, at first their blood pressure rises to balance with the sudden increase in activ-

reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

ity, and then drops back below normal. If blood pressure drops below a person’s normal rate, that means that the heart is resting and doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a resting state (4). Also, when the blood pres-

sure drops below normal, deeper breathing occurs. Deeper breathing allows the lungs to take in more oxygen at a time and therefore sending better oxygenrich blood through the body.

Did You Know? 

The average adult laughs about 17 times daily (6).

Two people laughing in the snow (1).

minute workout (6).

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Babies start laughing as early as four months (6).

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Laughter is universally recognized (6).

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Laughter can be recog-

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Laughing for ten minutes can burn as many calories as a 30

JUST

FOR

LAUGHS

People with heart disease are 40% less likely to laugh than those without it (1).

nized on a recording, even if played backwards (6).

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Laughing for 10 minutes can burn up to 50 calories (5).

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Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain, which enhances learning abilities (6).

VOLUME

ISSUE

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Laughter and the Heart An artery build-

dysfunction of the endothelium, or prevented by the protective bareating right, not smoking, rier of blood vesand now resels, which can lead cently discovto fat and cholesered, daily laughter. terol build up in arteries, which causes a heart attack. The researchers in this study took 300 people of roughly the same age, 150 with heart disease, the latter 150 without, and asked them simple questions about how they would react in a situation that up can be

According to a study at the University of Maryland Medical Center, laughter can have an effect on person’s risk for heart disease. Laughter helps prevent

could be humorous or infuriating. The results showed that the 150 people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in a given situation, and were more likely to show hostility and anger than those who did not have heart disease. Dr. Miller, one of the head doctors of the study, concluded that when it came to preventing heart disease, “Perhaps laughing should be added to the list.”

“Doctors believe that people should add laughter to

How to Bring More Humor Into Your Life

the standard list

Studies have shown that the more a person laughs, the healthier they are physically and mentally. Doctors believe that people should add laughter to the standard list of eating right and exercising to ensure good health (1). However, many people fail to laugh everyday because of their lifestyles. Doctors believe that

to ensure good

people can learn to laugh more during their day with simple lifestyle habit changes (5). Studies have shown that people who have a serious outlook on life don’t laugh as often as those who are relaxed; and therefore those serious people must first learn to relax and take things less seriously. One of the most obvious ways for

someone to loosen up and laugh more is by associating themselves with people with a good sense of humor, and can make them laugh easily. Another recommended way to laugh daily is by finding a new hobby or source of entertainment, such as a TV show, and avoid being alone for long periods of time (6).

Q1: How many times does the average child laugh daily?

Answers

100

200

Q3: Laughter helps increase the production of what essential body element?

300

Blood

Infection-fighting antibodies

Bone Marrow

Quiz! Q2: The University of Maryland stated that laughter could help which disease? A.

Heart Disease

Cancer

Depression

Q1. C (6) Q2. A (1) Q3. B (4)

of eating right and exercising

health.”

For More Information National The International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS) <http://www.hnu.edu/ishs/>. Executive Secretary—Martin Lampert, Ph.D.

Local

MICDS

St. Louis Laughter Club <http://www.laughangeles.com/club-show-detail.php?clubno=310> Founder—Marlene Chertok

School

By Mallorie Nguyen

Wair, Kirsten. "Get Your Laugh On." Ebsco Health Source - Consumer

November 24, 2009

Edition. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail? vid=4&hid=103&sid=50ee9233- b2b8-437f-9037-2d9c41b2ba97%

Section 8

40sessionmgr113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d% 3d#db=hxh&AN=34588084>.

Website Humor Matters <http://www.humormatters.com/> President—Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D.