Yet Another Year of Choices
By Barbara Dahlgren
Ever since Norman Cousins’ bestselling 1979 book Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing and Regeneration was published, more and more studies have surfaced to promote the healing power of humor. Cousins was editor of The Saturday Review for almost forty years. When stricken with a life-threatening arthritic disease, the almost paralyzed Cousins was given only a few months to live. He didn’t seem to be making good progress with his drug treatment, so he left the hospital and prescribed himself a healthy dose of laughter.
He watched old Marx Brothers’ movies, among other things, and read humor books. He discovered that “ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep.” To the amazement of his doctors, he slowly regained the use of his limbs and recovered.
Since then a number of studies have been done on humor therapy. They are finding that laughter can boost the immune system, provide higher pain tolerance, increase respiratory capacity, reduce heart attack risk, help control diabetic blood sugar levels, relax muscles, decrease stress hormones, and curb allergy symptoms. Some findings show laughter can have some of the same positive effects as exercise. So don’t feel guilty watching those old I Love Lucy reruns unless, of course, you are chowing down on chips and dip. Even laughter has its limitations!
Voltaire said, “The art of medicine consists of keeping the patient amused while nature heals the disease.” Or more simply put, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” (Proverbs 17:21) Laughter is good medicine and, coupled with a positive attitude, creates a deadly combination…or should I say life-affirming combination.
It’s one thing to laugh at the antics of another in a movie, TV show, book, cartoon, or comic monologue but quite another to see the funny side of everyday life. It would behoove all of us to look at small annoyances as small annoyances and not life-shattering events. Humor can give us a sense of perspective on our problems.
Unfortunately, some grumps wouldn’t laugh if you wiggled a feather on the bottom of their foot or any other part of their anatomy. People who can’t laugh could start with smiling. It’s something they can force so no one knows what grumps they are.
Consider this… Studies show that even a forced smile makes a person happier and lessens stress. So it not only enhances your life but the lives of those you meet.
Or you can buy a clown nose and wear it. Hey – do whatever works for you because laughter is good medicine.
One final thought…
We don’t laugh because we’re happy. We are happy because we laugh.
