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BENEFITS OF HUMOR: MYTHS, FACTS, and MAYBE'S

MYTHS: (THESE HAVE YET TO BE PROVEN)

• Releases endorphins which provide natural pain relief
• Liberates interleukin-2 and other immune boosters
• Helps move nutrients and oxygen to body tissues
• Helps the body fight infection
• Children laugh 400 times a day (This may be inferred from research, but information supporting this statement has yet to be found.)

FACTS:

• Conditions the abdominal muscles (Dr. William Fry states that 100 to 200 laughs a day = 10 to 20 minutes of exercise similar to rowing a boat.)
• Relaxes muscles throughout the body (Hence the statement: "I laughed so hard, I _____ in my pants.")
• Aids in reducing symptoms of neuralgia and rheumatism
• Has positive benefits on mental functions
• Improves ventilation
• Alleviates allergy symptoms (welts) -- Japanese Study, 2/2001
• Laughter around the dinner table helps people with Type 2 diabetes -- Japanese Study 5/2003
• Laughter helps alleviate pain -- Cousins, UCLA Study of pain in kids
• Changes perspective (The positive use of humor helps you see reality as opposed to one's perception of reality which supports the distress.)
• Makes you feel GOOD!

MAYBE'S:

Much research indicates that depression, anger, anxiety and stress are all related to heart disease. Humor diffuses these emotions, possibly making humor responsible for reducing the risk of heart disease.

Humor changes our biochemical state by decreasing stress hormones and increasing infection-fighting antibodies.

While the initial research on laughter supports an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, which is good for getting blood and oxygen flowing to organs, more research needs to be done on whether there is an additional benefit in that blood pressure and heart rate may actually be lowered minutes after intense laughter.

Wow! So much to prove! I am not a researcher, but just a common playperson, and I know HUMOR, LAUGHTER AND PLAY have helped me overcome many stressful moments in my life, perhaps even protecting me from illness and a life of post-traumatic stress. HLP works for me and costs nothing!

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