Here is a review of what we found out about the science of laughter and happiness in 2015.
Reminder: We have posted dozens of articles on the science of laughter (nicely summarized) here.
January 2015
- What Playful Animals Can Teach Us About The Biology Of Fun.
- Here is a review of what is currently known on the many health benefits of laughter: http://www.laughteronlineuniversity.com/research/
- The nature of the stress response is such that once it has been triggered, it can’t be turned off solely at the level of thought. You can’t think, but you can feel and diffuse the stress response in a matter of minutes. 4 Discoveries In Neuroscience That Redefine Happiness.
- To research academic papers: http://scholar.google.com/
March 2015
- Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold.
- Why Laughter Is Good For The Nervous System, Relieves Pain.
- Norman Cousins: A Laughter/Pain Case Study.
- Meet your DOSE of happy chemicals (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins).
- Body’s response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise.
- On Physical Fitness Through Laughter: Jogs Internal Organs, Makes Working Out Fun.
- What is dopamine for?
- Serotonin Link To Impulsivity, Decision-making, Confirmed.
- Sharing laughs makes people more likely to reveal secrets.
- The Healing Power of Laughter: The Applicability of Humor as a Psychotherapy Technique With Depressed and Anxious Older Adults.
April 2015
- Do people reveal more secrets when they laugh?. (Research abstract.)
- How scientist make people laugh to study humor.
- Looking for love? Be FUN: Playfulness is more important than intelligence when dating, study claims.
- About the difficulties associated with studying Laughter Yoga.
- What’s the difference between being optimistic and being positive?
- Prescription for living longer: Spend less time alone. New study finds isolation a risk factor for all ages, incomes.
- Research on fake laughs.
- The science behind the importance of making social connections.
- Documentaries on the science of laughter.
May 2015
- Why do we laugh? The science of laughter. (more on this here.)
- Your Buddha Nerve, better known as the vagus, is your body’s built-in mechanism for thriving and for maintaining good health.
- Study shows how what makes people feel good has changed since 1938.
- New research proves the competitive advantage of positive psychology in the workplace
- How and why laughter can help Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Lewy Body Dementia.
- The Maharishi Effect, or how 1,600 people can influence 256 million (it gets exponential after that).
June 2015
- Scientists Say We Can Smell Happiness.
- Should Student Success Include Happiness? Several studies have found that childhood emotional health and kind, helpful behavior are the greatest predictors of life satisfaction in adulthood.
- Sense Of Humor, positive expressions linked to genes. Laughter could be in your DNA – or not.
- The average level of group cohesiveness correlated positively with change in all mental health outcome variables.
- Nurse managers and hospital administrators should be aware of the benefits of group cohesion.
- Neighborhood cohesion is associated with reduced risk of stroke mortality.
- Can Laughter Therapy Reduce Radiation Dermatitis? Answer= Not really (the results achieved did not reach statistical significance.)
- Laughter’s evolutionary story may be written on chimpanzees’ faces.
- Laughter, the best meditative medicine. Want the potential mental and physical health benefits of meditation without the work of chasing away all those intrusive thoughts and feelings? Try laughing, a study suggests.
- Women with humorous partners experience more and stronger orgasms.
- Researchers have found the missing link between the brain and the body’s immune system.
- 10 Positive Psychology Studies to Change Your View of Happiness. 55 more are here.
- Laughter Yoga is a safe, low-intensity form of intradialytic physical activity that can be successfully implemented for patients in dialysis settings.
- Distracting yourself with an intense mental task (like playing a game of Tetris) can help reduce bad feelings.
July 2015
- Laughter Does the Body Good. Interview with Dr. Lee S. Berk.
- Why do people laugh?
- Science of laughter: Laughter overrides our usual vocal and physical control to make sounds we never normally hear in any other context.
- How to study laughter.
- Exploding the self-esteem myth.
- Recent research suggests that the mundane regularities of life can very much contribute to your overall sense of meaning.
- Insufficient sleep removes the rose tint to our emotional world, causing an overestimation of threat. This may explain why people who report getting too little sleep are less social and more lonely.
- Laughter and Epilepsy: Extremely rare
- Laughter makes people more apt to open up about themselves, which can help them forge closer relationships.
August
- Take a ‘Savoring Walk,’ and three other research-based strategies to help you appreciate this life
- World Authority on Laughter Talks Us Through the Research
- Staring Into Someone’s Eyes For 10 Minutes Can Alter Your Consciousness
- New study shows that, like yawning, laughter really can be infectious and may help people recover from depression.
September 2015
October
- Science behind random acts of kindness. Altruism expert Dr. George Fieldman explains why performing random acts of kindness benefits both you and society. A good deed creates “a virtuous circle,” where one good deed may lead to another.
- Scientists Get to the Root of Cataplexy, a Condition That Makes People Collapse When They Laugh.
- Feel-Good Science: Why Some People Savor Positive Emotions Longer. Both our genetics and our life experiences play a role in dictating how we experience emotions.
- Spending more time ‘forest bathing’ can have a positive effect on depression.
- We are 32 times more likely to laugh when others are around.
- A short video that explores the effects that laughing, crying, kissing, cuddling, and sex have on immune function and allergic responses.
- Japanese Study Says Laughter Therapy Efficient Low-Cost Medical Treatment.
November
- Thesis on how play may benefit creativity in organizational contexts. (Summary: fostering a climate of playfulness may be a means of stimulating organizational creativity.)
- We know how to reverse dementia in mice. Can it be done with humans? (exercise is the best way to get the game started)
- On the facial feedback theory, by Charles Darwin. Does facial expressions, e.g. smiling, impact emotions?
December
- The Impact of Laughter Yoga on the Stress of Cancer Patients before Chemotherapy
- The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Quantity and Quality of Sleep Among Elderly People Referring to Health Centers of Lar City, Southern of Iran; A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Read the abstract.
- Happiness In Motion: Myosin (a dynamic protein) dragging a ball of endorphins ("feel good" neuropeptides) to the "happy center" of the brain (parietal cortex). This is what happens when you practice 2-5 seconds of relaxation on a regular basis (at least 12 times per day) and focus on feeling good
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