zakur
3rd November 2003, 12:53 PM
Expecting a Laugh Boosts Stress-Busting Hormones (http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20021105.152254)
Go ahead, laugh. In fact, look forward to the upcoming positive event. It does the body good.
Yes, even looking forward to a happy, funny event increases endorphins and other relaxation-inducing hormones as well as decreases other detrimental stress hormones, a UC Irvine College of Medicine-led study has found.
In previous studies, the scientists found that anticipating a funny video reduced feelings of stress. This study found that those feelings have biological underpinnings and may help researchers combat the harmful effects of stress. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
[...]
Berk and his colleagues tested 16 men at Loma Linda University. Half of them were informed three days in advance they would watch a humorous video. The men watching the video had a 39 percent decrease in cortisol, a 38 percent drop in dopac and a 70 percent drop in epinephrine, all of which are stress hormones. At the same time, endorphin levels rose 27 percent, and growth hormone levels rose 87 percent. Endorphins and growth hormones are known to reduce the effects of stress and benefit the immune system. These changes were not seen in the other eight men who were told they would not view the funny video.
The levels of stress-inducing hormones increasingly dropped (and for the stress-reducers, rose) at a progressively greater rate as the date of the humorous experiment approached.Interesting study. Pretty small sample size, though.
Go ahead, laugh. In fact, look forward to the upcoming positive event. It does the body good.
Yes, even looking forward to a happy, funny event increases endorphins and other relaxation-inducing hormones as well as decreases other detrimental stress hormones, a UC Irvine College of Medicine-led study has found.
In previous studies, the scientists found that anticipating a funny video reduced feelings of stress. This study found that those feelings have biological underpinnings and may help researchers combat the harmful effects of stress. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
[...]
Berk and his colleagues tested 16 men at Loma Linda University. Half of them were informed three days in advance they would watch a humorous video. The men watching the video had a 39 percent decrease in cortisol, a 38 percent drop in dopac and a 70 percent drop in epinephrine, all of which are stress hormones. At the same time, endorphin levels rose 27 percent, and growth hormone levels rose 87 percent. Endorphins and growth hormones are known to reduce the effects of stress and benefit the immune system. These changes were not seen in the other eight men who were told they would not view the funny video.
The levels of stress-inducing hormones increasingly dropped (and for the stress-reducers, rose) at a progressively greater rate as the date of the humorous experiment approached.Interesting study. Pretty small sample size, though.