23. Physiology of
laugher
Increase oxygen level in blood.
Improves mental functioning
Exercises and relaxes muscles
Improves respiration
Stimulates circulation
24. Role of Oxygen
o Oxygen is essential for growth
o Oxygen is essential for the working of brain
o Oxygen provide freshness
o Proper function of the immune system
o Help to case depression
o Important for the working of body
30. REFERENCES
• Gruner CR. Understanding Laughter: The Workings of Wit and Humor.
Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall; 1978.
• Radcliffe-Brown AR. Structure and Function in Primitive Society: Essays
and Addresses. New York, NY: Free Press; 1952.
• McDougall W. Why do we laugh? Scribners. 1922;71:359–363.
• McDougall W. The theory of laughter. Nature. 1903;67:318–319.
• BergDV,Van Brockern S. Building resilience through humor. Rec Child
Youth: J Emot Behav Prob. 1995;4(3):26–29.
• Carlson PM, Peterson RL. What is humor and why is it important? Rec
Child Youth: J Emot Behav Prob. 1995;4(3):22–25.
Editor's Notes
Patients are encouraged to help fight the stress and pain by humor perspective.
Neurophysiology indicates that laughter is linked with the activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, that produces endorphins.
This system is involved in emotions and helps us with functions necessary for humans' survival.
Consists of use of humorous materials which encourages human to discuss their humorous experiences.
A general theory that explains laughter is called the relief theory.
Sigmund Freud summarized it in his theory that laughter releases tension and "psychic energy".
This theory is one of the justifications of the beliefs that laughter is beneficial for one's health.
This theory explains why laughter can be used as a coping mechanism when one is upset, angry or sad.
Cataplexy: A debilitating condition in which a person suddenly feels weak and collapses at times of strong emotion such as during laughter, anger, fear, or surprise. In so collapsing, people with cataplexy may injure themselves. For example, laughter and other emotions may trigger a reflex that can bring many of the muscles of the body to the point of collapse. Cataplexy often affects people who have narcolepsy.
the normal pattern of neuronal activity becomes disturbed, causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. The epilepsies have many possible causes and there are several types of seizures. Anything that disturbs the normal pattern of neuron activity—from illness to brain damage to abnormal brain development—can lead to seizures. Epilepsy may develop because of an abnormality in brain wiring, an imbalance of nerve signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters, changes in important features of brain cells called channels, or some combination of these and other factors. Having a single seizure as the result of a high fever (called febrile seizure) or head injury does not necessarily mean that a person has epilepsy. Only when a person has had two or more seizures is he or she considered to have epilepsy. A measurement of electrical activity in the brain and brain scans such as magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography are common diagnostic tests for epilepsy
