Check out my post “9 Ways That Humor Heals” on this cool site called Genistra.com. They have everything over there. In case you forgot, here’s the first part. And you can go over there, if you want to read more.
Of all my tools to combat depression and negativity, humor is by far the most fun. And just like mastering the craft of writing, I’m finding that the longer I practice laughing at life–and especially its frustrations-the better I become at it, and the more situations and conversations and complications I can place into that category named “silly.” G. K. Chesterton once wrote: “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” And Proverbs 17:22 says that “a happy heart is good medicine.” I’d add that human beings can heal (at least partially!) from a host of different illnesses if they learn how to laugh. Here are just a few ways our bodies, minds, and spirits begin to mend with a dose of humor.
Humor disengages fear because it changes your perspective: of the past and of the present. We all would do well to follow the advice of Leo Buscaglia: “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. And swing!”
2. Humor comforts.
Charlie Chaplin once said, “To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.” I suppose that’s why some of the funniest people out there–Stephen Colbert, Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Art Buchwald–have journeyed through periods of torment. There is an unspoken message hidden within a chuckle-even the slightest cackle- that says this: “I promise, you’ll get through this.” Just like the comforting hug of your mom when you were three.
3. Humor relaxes.
Like any exercise, laughing relaxes you, and works against chronic stress that most Americans wear on the shoulder. Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., a heart surgeon at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, explains why this is so in a 2005 “Reader’s Digest” article: When you push any engine, including your body, to its maximum, every once in a while it slips a gear. The ways the body manifests that are: irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, and increased sensitivity to pain. When people use humor, the autonomic nervous system just tones down a bit to take it off high gear, and that allows the heart to relax.
4. Humor reduces pain.
“Humor rooms,” which encourage people to use humor in their recovery from any kind of illness, are now available in some hospitals. And science backs these efforts. In a study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing, humor very definitely seemed to diminish pain.
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