Welcome to - This column will hereafter be a permanent feature of this web site, although its content will change monthly. It is dedicated to all individuals (and their loved ones) who are now battling cancer, and to Survivors whose cancer is in remission. I’ll occasionally leave you with a joke. This will usually be related to cancer, or some other source of stress in our lives. If you’ve heard a joke along these lines that you love, and would like to see it made available to everyone in this column, please send it to me at HaHaRemedy@viconet.com. Humor Your Tumor December, 1999 Paul E. McGhee, PhD Learning to Use Humor to Cope Laugh More Often and More Heartily
"I can't express anger. I grow tumors,
instead" "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the
soul."
Research in psychoneuroimmunology shows that your daily emotional state or mood has a significant impact on the body's health and healing mechanisms (e.g., the immune system). Persistent negative emotions interfere with health and wellness, while positive emotions tend to be emotionally and (sometimes physically) healing. There is also general agreement among psychologists and other mental health professionals that it is important to find effective ways to express your feelings about things--both positive and negative feelings. We have known for years that if you "hold in" negative emotions, such as anger or anxiety, this can have a negative effect on your health. In the case of cancer, some studies suggest that a general pattern of inhibited emotional expression is a risk factor for cancer, but other studies have failed to confirm this. I suggested in earlier Humor Your Tumor articles that some of the health benefits associated with humor appear to result from the physical activity of laughter. And, of course, there's also the fact that you simply feel better after a good belly laugh. The problem, of course, is that you often don't feel like laughing. We generally laugh when we find something funny, and we are rarely amused on our most stressful days. As you go through this 8-Step Humor Training Program in the months ahead, you will gradually start to laugh more than you have in the past because you will become more skilled at finding things to laugh at. But you can also think of laughing as a skill. We all laugh more as children than as adults, but some children and adults just seem to have a temperament than leads them to laugh more when they find something funny. Some people are real belly laughers, while others rarely let out more than a chuckle. Zen Buddhists believe that if you start off the day with a laugh, you'll be fine the rest of the day. While a good morning laugh may not guarantee your well being throughout the day, it certainly gets you started in the right direction. Think of laughter as a stress deodorant. For some of you, one application in the morning may get you through the day. Chances are, however, that you're going to need repeated applications throughout the day. The benefits of laughter for its own sake are so powerful that a laughter movement has taken root in India during the past 3-4 years, and is now spreading to other areas of the world. Dr. Madan Kataria began the movement in Bombay with a single laughter club, but the number in India is now well over 100 clubs. No money is required to join the laughter clubs. All are invited. People come in the morning before heading off to their jobs and simply laugh--for 15-20 minutes. The clubs began with people taking turns telling jokes, but they quickly ran out of jokes, and some were offended by the jokes which were told. So Dr. Katarian developed a series of yoga-like laughter procedures which simply allowed people to laugh, devoting 30-40 seconds to each laughter exercise. The laughter helps people start their day refreshed and in a joyful mood. It can do the same for you. Dr. Katarian declared January 11, 1998 "World Laughter Day." Over 10,000 people showed up at the Race Course grounds in Bombay on that day to share laughter together. While you may not be able to get to Bombay next month to participate in World Laughter Day in 1999, you can make every day your own personal World Laughter Day by following the guidelines offered below. The first thing to do to strengthen this part of your sense of humor is to decide whether or not you're a good belly laugher. Think about how hard and how long you laugh when you find something really funny. Ask your friends, family and colleagues for their views. If you find that you don't laugh very often, and don't have much of a belly laugh when you do laugh, make the effort to work on this part of your sense of humor.
An 80-year-old woman said that her cancer had been in remission for over 30 years. When asked what she attributed her long life to, she said, "Well, I haven't died." HOMEPLAY: Spend the next few weeks laughing more often and more intensely than you usually do. Force yourself to laugh more in situations where other people are laughing. You'll feel self-conscious about this at first, but will gradually become more of a natural belly laugher. 1. Put up reminders to laugh at home, in your car, and at work (remember to use good judgment about when laughter is and is not appropriate). 2. Spend more time around people who are good laughers. Use their laughter to boost your own. 3. Listen to comedy audio tapes (many libraries have comedy tapes) while driving to and from work, and force yourself to laugh more when you find a segment funny. 4. Try faking laughter when you're angry or anxious, and notice the effect it has on the way you feel.
Click here to link to Dr. McGhee's web site at www.LaughterRemedy.com. Click HERE for additional articles by Dr. McGhee on Humor and health/coping. |
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