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| Health | |
| A dose of laughter keeps your heart younger! | |
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BY K K AGGARWAL
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DR K K Aggarwal, Executive Vice-Chairman of Heart Care Foundation of India and President Elect, Delhi Medical Association, inaugurating a session on humour and health in the Capital recently, said that all hospitals should add humour department in their institutional setting. They should have a humour coordinator and a humour room. The Hasya Kavi Samellan was organised by the Foundation in association with Maheshwari Club and DMA. The Kavis who participated in the event included Pradeep Choubey, Mahendra Ajnabi, Ved Prakash, Praveen Shukla and Manjit Singh. The function was presided over by Raj Kumar Karwa, president of Maheshwari Club. Studies from all over the world have shown that an atmosphere of humour results in better patient cure, less anaesthesia time, less operating time and lesser hospital stay. Dr Aggarwal said that patients could add a daily dose of laughter—by watching a funny video for instance. Apart from advising regular exercise and a low-fat diet, all doctors should advice laughter two to three times a day. People who laugh a lot are less likely to be stressed, is a well-known observation in the medical fraternity. Stressed, anxious or depressed people also are more likely to smoke, be physically inactive and rely on high fat 'comfort foods' and alcohol as part of their coping strategy. Talking about laughter, Dr Aggarwal said that the act of laughing releases chemicals that affect the blood vessels, perhaps like nitric oxide, known to dilate blood vessels. The chemical, related to the nitrous oxide used to relax dental patients, is already targeted by some heart drugs. Laughter is not confined to humans. Chimpanzees show laughter-like behaviour in response to physical contact, such as wrestling, chasing, or tickling, and rat pups emit short, high frequency, ultrasonic vocalisations during rough and tumble play, and when tickled. Rat pups "laugh" far more than older rats. | |
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Facts about laughter: Laughter is the biological reaction of humans to moments or occasions of humour: an outward expression of amusement. Laughter is sub-categorised depending upon the extent and pitch of the laugh- ter: giggles, chortles, chuckles, hoots, cackles, sniggers and guffaws are all types of laughter. Smiling is a mild silent form of laughing. Laughter differs depending upon the gender of the laughing person: women tend to laugh in a more "sing-song" way, while men more often grunt or snort. Babies start to laugh at about 4 months of age. John Morreall theorises that human laughter may have its biological origins as a kind of shared expression of relief at the passing of danger. The relaxation of tension we feel
after laughing may help inhibit the fight-or- flight response, making
laughter a behavioral sign of trust in one's comp Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group - it signals acceptance and positive interactions. On the other hand laughing at somebody is ridiculing him or her. Laughter triggers the release of
endorphins. A study demonstrated neuro- endocrine and stress-related
hormones decreased during episodes of Parts of the limbic system are involved in laughter. The limbic system is a primitive part of the brain that is involved in emotions and helps us with basic functions necessary for survival. Two structures in the limbic system are involved in producing laughter: the amygdala and the hippocampus. People with certain types of brain damage produce abnormal laughter. This is found most often in people with pseudobulbar palsy, gelastic epilepsy, and to a lesser degree, with multiple sclerosis, ALS, and some brain tumors. In most people, laughter can be induced by tickling, a phenomenon in itself. Laughing gas is sometimes used as a painkiller. |
