Post by Blu on Dec 14, 2004 14:59:51 GMT -5
Source: University of California, Irvine Released: Wed 14-Nov-2001, 00:00 ET
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Planning to Watch a Comedy? It May be Good for You
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Medical News Keywords
laughter, mood, stress levels, immune system
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Looking forward to a favorite comedy? Just checking television listings a few days ahead may boost the body's ability to fight disease, a UC Irvine College of Medicine study has found.
175-AP-01
PLANNING TO WATCH A COMEDY? IT MAY BE GOOD FOR YOU
Study Finds Anticipation of Laughter Triggers Healthy Mood Changes, May Reduce Stress Hormone Levels, Boost Immune Defenses
Irvine, Calif., Nov. 13, 2001 -- Looking forward to a favorite comedy? Just checking television listings a few days ahead may boost the body's ability to fight disease, a UC Irvine College of Medicine study has found.
The study is the first to show that anticipation of a mirthful event, such as a television comedy, results in behavior changes known to reduce stress hormone levels and boost the immune system's response to disease. The study will be presented Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.
Lee Berk, assistant professor of family medicine, and his colleagues at the Susan Samueli Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that anticipating a mirthful event reduced levels of tension, anger, depression, fatigue and confusion up to two days before the actual event.
Previous research by Berk and others has shown that chronic stress can profoundly depress the immune system, and that exposure to a one-hour humorous video reduced secretion of stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol and enhanced the anti-viral and antibacterial capabilities of the body's immune system.
"We've demonstrated that watching a funny video can stimulate the body's ability to manage stress and fight disease," Berk said. "But this is the first time we've seen that just anticipating such an event can change the body's responses. We believe this 'biology of hope' underlies recovery from many chronic disorders. Treatments that take advantage of the effects of this hope may go a long way to stimulating immune responses and hasten recovery."
Read the whole article!
www.newswise.com/articles/ 2001/11/LAUGH.UCI.html.
Printer-friendly Version
Planning to Watch a Comedy? It May be Good for You
Libraries
Medical News Keywords
laughter, mood, stress levels, immune system
Contact Information
Available for logged-in reporters only
Description
Looking forward to a favorite comedy? Just checking television listings a few days ahead may boost the body's ability to fight disease, a UC Irvine College of Medicine study has found.
175-AP-01
PLANNING TO WATCH A COMEDY? IT MAY BE GOOD FOR YOU
Study Finds Anticipation of Laughter Triggers Healthy Mood Changes, May Reduce Stress Hormone Levels, Boost Immune Defenses
Irvine, Calif., Nov. 13, 2001 -- Looking forward to a favorite comedy? Just checking television listings a few days ahead may boost the body's ability to fight disease, a UC Irvine College of Medicine study has found.
The study is the first to show that anticipation of a mirthful event, such as a television comedy, results in behavior changes known to reduce stress hormone levels and boost the immune system's response to disease. The study will be presented Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.
Lee Berk, assistant professor of family medicine, and his colleagues at the Susan Samueli Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that anticipating a mirthful event reduced levels of tension, anger, depression, fatigue and confusion up to two days before the actual event.
Previous research by Berk and others has shown that chronic stress can profoundly depress the immune system, and that exposure to a one-hour humorous video reduced secretion of stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol and enhanced the anti-viral and antibacterial capabilities of the body's immune system.
"We've demonstrated that watching a funny video can stimulate the body's ability to manage stress and fight disease," Berk said. "But this is the first time we've seen that just anticipating such an event can change the body's responses. We believe this 'biology of hope' underlies recovery from many chronic disorders. Treatments that take advantage of the effects of this hope may go a long way to stimulating immune responses and hasten recovery."
Read the whole article!
www.newswise.com/articles/ 2001/11/LAUGH.UCI.html.