Max
08-20-2001, 01:54 PM
Trying the laughter treatment
Anita Malik
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 20, 2001
Imagine sitting in a traffic jam.
Now imagine seeing some guy blowing bubbles out his car window. Are you smiling or maybe chuckling a bit? If you are, you might be improving your health.
"Laughter decreases detrimental stress hormones," said Dr. Lee Berk, a member of the Susan Samueli Center for Complementary Alternative Medicine at the University of California-Irvine.
Laughter, the body's response to humor, mimics mild exercise. As a result, the stress hormone cortisol is decreased and relaxing, mood-enhancing endorphins are increased, said Berk, a 20-year expert in the field of laughter research.
A little chuckle also gives the immune system a boost by increasing the activity of cells that play a fundamental role in destroying viruses, he added.
But back to the funny guy with the bubbles. Allen Klein said these benefits of laughter and humor are important in everyday life. He said his traffic-stopping antics give people a break.
Klein, also known as Mr. Jollytologist, details 14 techniques on how to inject humor into daily life in The Healing Power of Humor. Tips include adding some nonsense to your routine and changing your attitude or, as he says, "whistle a happy tune."
"It is also important to look at how small kids handle problems," said Klein, who also wrote The Courage to Laugh. "They just let it roll off their backs. They get upset for a little while, and then they go off and have a good time."
Kids laugh about 400 times a day, while adults laugh only about 15, according to Klein's estimates.
Tapping into your giggly inner child can be hard, but Laughing Out Loud Adventure in Tempe can help.
Marsha Burbach, co-founder of the company, said humor could change your outlook. "It is not about what happens to you in life, but what you do with what happens," she added.
The company organizes weekend interactive PLAYshops that help participants use humor in everyday situations.
If telling a joke or acting silly just evades you, there is yet another option: laughing clubs.
Laughing clubs started in India in 1995, as a way to plan laughter and capture the positive effects.
"The idea is to get laughing without the use of traditional jokes or humor," said Steve Wilson, psychologist and co-founder of the World Laughter Tour. "Everything about laughter improves the body's ability to get and use oxygen."
The traditional laugh session begins with the ho-ho, ha-ha exercise, which focuses on proper breathing. "This laughter helps a person to breathe properly by pushing air out from the diaphragm," Wilson said.
The workout continues with one of the hundreds of types of laughing exercises. A group might do humming laughter, monkey laughter, or extra-large laughter. There is even hokey-pokey laughter. Just use your imagination . . . put your ha-ha's in and put your ho-ho's out . . .
Are you chuckling yet?
Anita Malik
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 20, 2001
Imagine sitting in a traffic jam.
Now imagine seeing some guy blowing bubbles out his car window. Are you smiling or maybe chuckling a bit? If you are, you might be improving your health.
"Laughter decreases detrimental stress hormones," said Dr. Lee Berk, a member of the Susan Samueli Center for Complementary Alternative Medicine at the University of California-Irvine.
Laughter, the body's response to humor, mimics mild exercise. As a result, the stress hormone cortisol is decreased and relaxing, mood-enhancing endorphins are increased, said Berk, a 20-year expert in the field of laughter research.
A little chuckle also gives the immune system a boost by increasing the activity of cells that play a fundamental role in destroying viruses, he added.
But back to the funny guy with the bubbles. Allen Klein said these benefits of laughter and humor are important in everyday life. He said his traffic-stopping antics give people a break.
Klein, also known as Mr. Jollytologist, details 14 techniques on how to inject humor into daily life in The Healing Power of Humor. Tips include adding some nonsense to your routine and changing your attitude or, as he says, "whistle a happy tune."
"It is also important to look at how small kids handle problems," said Klein, who also wrote The Courage to Laugh. "They just let it roll off their backs. They get upset for a little while, and then they go off and have a good time."
Kids laugh about 400 times a day, while adults laugh only about 15, according to Klein's estimates.
Tapping into your giggly inner child can be hard, but Laughing Out Loud Adventure in Tempe can help.
Marsha Burbach, co-founder of the company, said humor could change your outlook. "It is not about what happens to you in life, but what you do with what happens," she added.
The company organizes weekend interactive PLAYshops that help participants use humor in everyday situations.
If telling a joke or acting silly just evades you, there is yet another option: laughing clubs.
Laughing clubs started in India in 1995, as a way to plan laughter and capture the positive effects.
"The idea is to get laughing without the use of traditional jokes or humor," said Steve Wilson, psychologist and co-founder of the World Laughter Tour. "Everything about laughter improves the body's ability to get and use oxygen."
The traditional laugh session begins with the ho-ho, ha-ha exercise, which focuses on proper breathing. "This laughter helps a person to breathe properly by pushing air out from the diaphragm," Wilson said.
The workout continues with one of the hundreds of types of laughing exercises. A group might do humming laughter, monkey laughter, or extra-large laughter. There is even hokey-pokey laughter. Just use your imagination . . . put your ha-ha's in and put your ho-ho's out . . .
Are you chuckling yet?