How laughter can reduce stress and improve your health.
A cheerful heart acts well, like medicine; but a broken spirit kills bone. -Devices 17:22
Stress, angry or sad? Fear will work?
Try this: open your mouth as wide as you can, throw out your eyes, stick out
your tongue, raise your hands up like the claws of a lion, then break through into
the mighty roar of heartfelt laughter.
Or this: sit, pretend that you are on a roller coaster approaching
top of the hill. Slowly raise your hands up and up, bend back, lift
feet from the ground, and in a rising tone of voice exclaim, "Oooooh." Then,
as the imaginary coaster runs down, folding his arms with
big belly laughs like a crescendo when you bend over your waist.
Even if your laugh seems forced, don't be surprised if you feel very
better. Just as weight lifting and aerobic exercise can
body and revive the spirit, scientists today believe that the act of laughing
can be a physically and emotionally behavioral weapon.
The lion and the roller coaster are laughing along with about a dozen others.
There are now exercises in 1000 "laughter clubs" around the world. Growing trend
ABC Peter Jennings first reported at L9981 World News Tonight
report, laughter clubs (about 100 in the US) are the absolute last in stress
reduction therapy, easing tension in modern life and health promotion.
And laughter exercises are effectively used in corporate environments,
hospitals, nursing homes and even classrooms.
Distribute your mind to joy
Since the mid-1960s, when the famous writer on Saturday
Norman Cousin was diagnosed with osteochondrosis and said he laughed
yourself to health by watching the “Candidamer” and the funny brothers Marx
(as well as taking vitamin C mega doses) scientists
juggled by the possibilities of this connection of mind and body.
Four centuries before, Shakespeare wrote about healing.
the power of levity in "The Taming of the Shrew": "And leave your mind to the fun
etc., in which a thousand hands fit and lose their lives. "
Today, Dr. William Fry, a psychiatrist, laughter researcher and professor
honorary at Stanford University Medical School, agreements with Shakespeare:
"When you laugh, you relieve the stress associated with the three primary
negative emotions are anxiety, fear and anger, ”says the doctor, who has
devoted 30 years to laughter research. "Any of these emotions in abundance can
lead to diseases that shorten life. If you can laugh at what you fear, fear
just disappears.
“A cheerful laugh,” he continues, “is the total activity of the body,
cardiac muscle, diaphragm exercises, abdominal and pectoral muscles,
and complements our airway exchange, with more oxygen and
more carbon dioxide, which improves the ability of the lungs. "
Moreover, stimulating laughter, he explains, improves blood circulation.
because it increases heart rate and blood pressure. "Day is worthy of heart
laughter, "Dr. Fry's numbers," roughly equals ten minutes on a row
a car. "
“Of course, laughter has a therapeutic and prophylactic effect on our
health, like moderate exercise, meditation, prayer or yoga, ”adds Dr. Lee
Burke, Associate Professor of Human Pathology and Anatomy at School
Medicine University Loma Linda, in southern California.
“In fact, the parallels between laughter and exercise are supernatural,” says
Burke, a pioneer laugh that displays a list of health benefits that make
laugh a virtual panacea: “Laughter,” he believes, “can relax muscles,
increase alertness and memory, reduce physical pain, reduce emotional stress,
boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, improve blood circulation, increase
sore, neutralize anger and even create endorphins that provide natural
high. "
Such dazzling successes have not gone unnoticed by many US hospitals, which
to offer comic rooms, comic cars (completed videos, oversized requisites, such as
Groucho glasses and nose sticks, as well as magic tricks), internal TV humor
channels and clowns. Practitioners believe that any of these methods
through the laughter they make, can improve respiratory ailments, such as
asthma and chronic bronchitis (replacement of air from the lungs), as well as prospects
patients.
Not to mention cardiac rehabilitation, where laughter can be key, notes
Burke:
"In a study of heart patients, they asked to see humorous videos in 30
min daily for a whole year, there were 8.3% recurrences of heart attacks
compared with 41.7% in the group treated with conventional methods. If i had
think up the medicine that made it - I will be on my way to
Sweden will receive the Nobel Prize! Laughter is FREE - it means that we have
ability to heal itself and reduce stress. Isn't that amazing? "
Laughing at work and school
No wonder some companies are expanding now.
trained days, sports tournaments and ice cream parties
employees organized funny festivals, aided by more than 20 South American comic studies,
consulting firms.
One of the key players in the US laughter business is psychologist Steve Wilson,
the self-proclaimed “hedologist” who left his private practice in Gaanna,
Ohio State to find both the North American Laughter Club and World Laughter
Tour Inc., which certifies the "leader-leader."
"When you double up and go crazy with laughter and at the end
friends-- & # 39; Thank you for my need! “You really needed this,” Wilson exclaims.
laughter broke in a corporate setting, he notes, gives employees a chance
to discharge the voltage, it activates them (better than a coffee break), and increases
their creativity. And creativity is needed for planning, problem solving and
decide. Employees who are creative and energetic will
more productive. "
Just ask Bobbe White, business development officer on government street.
Bank and Trust Co. in Quincy, Illinois, who strides through the staff through a giggle
once a week: “When I first did this at a staff meeting, they thought I was crazy!”
laughs white who got accredited by the leader of accreditation in columbus
Community College, in Ohio, where she studied World Laughter
Tour Inc.
“Employees,” she admits, “feared and
later, they are more relaxed, they laugh easier, they deal with a client
conflict with less stress - and our laugh club created a sense of common
camaraderie. "
42-year-old vice-president of the bank Glennon Rost, agrees: "At first I could not believe
they asked me to do it, - he grinned, - but I did not laugh at all
over the place. Life is too short to spend on it something crazy in the world. And you
can't be mad or worry about bad credit while you laugh. It's also easier
come up to college later in the day if you notice that they
laugh. "
The irony is that people laugh less and less when they mature, trying to
crush their childhood giggles, instinct that contradicts their emotional and
physical health.
"The average American preschool child laughs about 400 times a day, 3
Wonders Steve Wilson, "while the average American adult may be laughing, like
a bit like 15 times! This is because we are constrained by stress. "
To prevent this from happening to the new generation, some schools
solving a head problem using laugh clubs to reduce
parental pressure. “These children,” says Wilson, “for life
inoculations to protect them from losing the ability to laugh so that they do not lose
385 laughs by the time they grow up. My philosophy of life: NOT
POSTPONNY JOY. Mark Twain said that life is unknown, so eat your dessert first. "
Laughter for no reason
The laughter club movement began in Bombay in 1995, when the inventor
Indian doctor, Dr. Madan Kataria, a long-time student of humor and yoga,
It was observed that patients who often laughed, as a rule, recovered faster
from the disease and stayed healthier longer. He found that
laughter in the morning can create a feeling of well-being and leave behind
emotional glow.
“An idea occurred to me,” says Katariah, in an interview
Bombay. "I read so much research on the health benefits of laughter,
but no one laughed in our stressful, modern life.
“So one day,” he recalls, “I went to a public park at 7 am, got up on
corner and started laughing at jokes with five people. But then I thought why
do not laugh for no reason, because ridiculousness is contagious. "
So it was. Kataria has founded Laughter Clubs International, which
has grown over 400 branches in India with 50,000 members, most of which
which occurs early in the morning in public parks or apartment complexes
before you get to work.
Dr. Katariah, who wrote a landmark book about his methods, Laughter
Without a reason [Madhuri International, l999]thinks laughter is a "recipe"
is the best prevention:
"More than 70% of diseases - such as high blood pressure, heart disease,
anxiety, depression, frequent cough and cold, peptic ulcer, insomnia,
allergies, asthma, menstrual disorders, tension headaches, indigestion
and even cancer - have something to do with stress, ”he says.
“A good laugh,” he concludes, “brings you instant relaxation and was
proven to reduce levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline, dopamine,
and cortisol. "
Forge it before you do it.
Whether in Bombay or Chicago, the format of the laugh clubs is the same
consisting of a 20-minute mix of cheerful laughter, deep breathing and
stretching exercises. No joke or comedy required!
Certified Laugh Leader Margot Escott from Naples Florida, Psychotherapist
and a national speaker on humor and healing, prepares the participants
as follows: “I always start by saying that:“ Forced or simulated laughter can
seem fake or fake for you, but the body does not know the difference. You are getting
the same benefits of laughter - regardless of the real & # 39; or not! "
“Self-induced laughter,” adds Dr. Kataria, “is contagious — and very soon
voluntary laughter turns into genuine giggles. "
Steve Wilson, who was prepared by Dr. Cataria, notes: “You don’t even need
be in the mood to laugh. The creators of the movements of emotions - he believes - so fake it to
You do it. "
At the beginning of each session, the participants begin three minutes.
warm-up, repetition, "Ho-Ho, Ha-Ha-Ha" - rhythmic singing in unison
with a quick clapping.
"Doing this," says Wilson, "stimulates the acupressure points in the palms
hands and oxygenated blood. "
Next is deep breathing, a key element borrowed from yoga, which releases
strain and relax the participants.
Then the real fun begins with a group of interactive laughter. First
caused a greeting to laugh: Look into the eyes of the person next to you.
Shake hands or a high five, laughing in a warm, attractive tone.
Then continue changing partners, shaking hands and laughing.
Any number of improvised laughter can follow, for example, a roller coaster
and the lion, or the ever-popular Humming: laugh with closed lips, therefore
the sound of laughter must go out of your nose. It makes a buzz
sound that resonates through the skull. "Waving hands and arms
like wings, is optional, ”says Wilson,“ but this is a sure way of fire.
laughs "
Other clips include:
Cocktail laugh: a parody of the excellent behavior of the party. Pretend you
holding the martini, on the one hand, shaking hands with another, and then
laugh in a kiss-kiss, fake, gentle, sarcastic manner.
The argument laughs, one of the most sophisticated, especially popular in schools:
Two people collide with each other, simultaneously wagging their index finger on
the other in an angry pose while laughing vigorously.
This is one of the favorites of ten-year-old Nick White, the son of the leader of laughter
Bobbe White: “My Older Sister [Korean, 12] and I argue a lot and I like to do
pointing! - Nick tells in a telephone interview with Gleyer. When we do
the argument is laughing, we really are not crazy. Laughter makes children feel better, so you
don't worry about anything. "
Nick says he also likes the Crazy Dance: you dance in any way, with weapons
and legs in motion while you shake with laughter.
And do not forget that penguin: you hold hands on the sides, heels
together, and just wallow and laugh, swirling from member to
member.
Do not the participants feel a little silly roar, like a lion or clapping hands
around like a bird? "The word" stupid "comes from an old English word meaning
a blessing or a gift, says Ascott, so be silly to give someone a blessing. "
Intersecting between structured giggles are exercises — a gentle neck and
shoulder pieces and twists on both sides and waist, everything means to lift and tone
muscle and promote flexibility and relaxation.
Because of the sometimes intense physical fitness of laughter, Dr.
Kataria and his followers warn that pregnant women suffering from the uterine cavity
prolapse (weakening of the ligaments supporting the uterus), patients with heart failure,
individuals with high blood pressure who have eye complications (especially
glaucoma), hernia or hemorrhoids, or recovery from recent
abdominal surgery should not be involved in a laughter session.
Laughter for the elderly and chronically ill
Perhaps his most seductive effect, laughter (like chocolate) is almost always
gives a powerful euphoric benefits, reports Dr. Kataria, "because it increases
release of endorphins - body's own morphine, natural painkillers ",
creating a "runner." Endorphins, he proved, may hurt less
perception in arthritic sufferers, tension headaches and countless
other diseases faced by the elderly or chronically ill.
As Norman Cousin wrote in his best-selling book, Anatomy of a Disease, 4
"Ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give
i have at least two hours of painless sleep. "
That is why laughter clubs are becoming increasingly popular in nursing.
home, says laughter leader Barb Templeton, director of activities at Heritage
Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Naples, Florida, qualified medical staff
home with 97 inhabitants.
"Laughter therapy is an elixir that can completely mask pain and reduce
through depression and boredom stay in a nursing home ", - notes
Templeton, who says that residents who are disabled can fully participate
lying or using pedestrians or wheelchairs.
Talk to Yvonne Cook, a resident of the house, at the age of 62: "I had a stroke and
cannot move the left side, she says in a telephone interview, but the exercises help
my forte, and I can laugh, sitting down. After the laugh club there are lots
smiling persons in wheelchairs! "
John DeBruin, although only at the age of 50, is also a Heritage resident after
suffering multiple blows. “A laughing club,” he admits, “keeps me from
dumps. I see what makes people do depression ... it's a killer. Therefore, I always want
laughing. "
Thomas White, 83, and Alzheimer's, attends
every week, at the insistence of his wife Margaret, non-resident
Heritage: “I noticed that he is less tense, more relaxed and happy.
all our lives - after 50 years of marriage - and we do not stop now! "
Finally, for older people living independently, for example, Dottie Wilson, 89,
Naples, Florida, laughter clubs create an emotional impulse: "For the first time, I
I went to the laughter club, to my church, I was at the height until I went to bed! I
might sleep a lot, I was so excited, ”she recalls. I did not know one
50 people in a group, and it was a great icebreaker. This needs older people. This is & # 39; s
better than visiting the doctor because he distracts attention from age and
malaise. You associate with your lighter side. "
Speaking of icebreakers, nothing works faster than Ice-Cube Down.
Back, says Steve Wilson, “This laughter was invented by women in their 80s and
90 are members of a laugh club at an auxiliary residential property in Canton, Ohio.
They tried it that day when they went on a picnic. You pretended to be someone just
put an ice cube on your back, wriggle and giggle. "
The spiritual component of laughter
The final of each fun workout comes with three affirmative greetings:
the leader offers the first strike line, saying, “We are the happiest people in
peace. & # 39; Everyone raises their hands and says: “Uh-uh! We are
healthy people in the world. & # 39; & # 39; Yes & # 39 !; We are members of the Laugh Club! & # 39; Ye-
es! "Then the participants stretch their hands to the sky, close their eyes
and in India to pray for world peace.
«Если бы мы засмеялись больше, мы бы меньше сопротивлялись, и в
мир », - восклицает Стив Уилсон, который объясняет, что клубы смеха всегда показывают
основной духовный компонент:
«Если вы только получаете физические преимущества смеха, это хорошо, но не
достаточно хорошо. Нам также нужно смеяться. Поэтому, когда мы охлаждаем
вниз в конце сессии, лидер всегда упоминает & # 39; emotional
«балансировка», состоящая из трех практик: по понедельникам члены группы
поощрять к комплиментам; Среды зарезервированы для занятий
благодарность; Пятница сосредоточена на прощении.
Конечный результат - не меньше, чем духовный макияж, обещает Уилсон: «С
все это, перед лицом неудачи или разочарования, вы можете сделать RMA -
быстрое умственное приспособление - и решите поразиться и позабавиться, а не
сердитый или больно.
«Ваш гнев, - предупреждает он, - ваш злейший враг - для вашего сердца и
за ваше отношение. Таким образом, упражнения для смеха оказываются конечной ценой,
эффективная терапия. Смех свободный, его легко обойти, и он предотвращает
упрочение отношений! "
* * * *
Царга
Советы по добавлению большего смеха в вашу жизнь
1) Создайте свой собственный набор для мурта: найдите юмористические видеоролики, игрушки и забавные реквизиты
ветровые игрушки, очки Гроучо, нос клоуна, мешок с механическим смехом, рог,
пузыри - все, что вас забавляет, и засунуть их в ваш стол, перчатку
купе или портфеле. В следующий раз, когда вы будете подчеркнуты, выньте их и
развлекай себя и других.
2) Присоединитесь или запустите клуб смеха (для инструкций войдите в:
http://www.worldlaughtertour.com)
3) Найдите союзника юмора - смеющегося приятеля, который заставляет вас смеяться и наоборот.
Торгуйте смешными историями и смехами. Или подписаться на Юмор
Pal @ http://www.jesthealth.com.
4) Окружайте себя юмором: дома, украсьте холодильник
намагниченные мультфильмы, юмористические колонны и забавные фотографии, или создать семью
доска объявлений юмора.
5) Рассказывайте истории о себе: возьмите свои блуперы, недостатки и недостатки ... и
смеяться над ними.
6) Проведите время с детьми дошкольного возраста: Дети - это естественные смешки, которые не ставят
отрицательный откат при неудачах. Пусть это наткнется на вас.
7) Ослабьте неумолимые стандарты: все, что вы можете сделать, чтобы уменьшить
перфекционизм и создание непринужденной атмосферы
смех в вашей жизни. Беспокойство, беспокойство и перфекционизм убивают смех
8) Поделитесь богатством смеха: когда вы читаете газету или журнал, держите
пара ножниц удобная, вырезать мультфильмы или статьи, которые поражают вас как забавные, и
выкладывать их по почте друзьям и родственникам
9) Используйте заразный эффект смеха: Смех любит компанию - как Виктор
Борге сказал: «Улыбка - это самое короткое расстояние между двумя людьми». Так что ищите
веселые, добродушные люди и избегайте крабовых, грубых, негативных или
саркастические люди.
10) Приведите ваше чувство юмора к работе: смешная линия и нижняя строка могут идти
рука об руку.
Боковой бар на основе интервью с консультантами юмора: Стив Уилсон из
WorldLaughterTour; Джоэл Гудман из The Humor Project Inc.; и Патти Вутен
только для здоровья его.
Набор для облегчения жизни, доступный для фотографии, созданный Патти Вутен.
Для получения дополнительной информации о клубах смеха: http://www.worldlaughtertour.com
Для получения дополнительной информации о развитии навыков юмора: Ассоциация прикладного и терапевтического юмора
