Transcript 12.Humor

Chapter 12:
Humor Therapy
(Comic Relief)
A smile is the shortest distance
between two people.
- Victor Borge
Norman Cousins and
humor therapy
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Anatomy of an Illness
Is there a correlation between stress,
particularly negative perceptions and
emotions, and disease?
The premise of humor therapy is that if
negative thoughts can result in illness
and disease, positive thoughts should
enhance health.
Types and senses
of humor
 parody
 black
 satire
 irony
 slapstick
 dry
comedy
 absurd/nonsense
humor
humor
humor and
puns
 sarcasm
Theories of humor
Superiority Theory
 Incongruity Theory
 Release/Relief Theory
 Divinity Theory
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Physiology of humor
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relaxes muscles
reduces blood pressure
increases ventilation
massages internal organs
promotes secretion of neuropeptides
Physiology of humor
Research investigating the psychoneuroimmunological effects of laughter
have found that there is a strong
relationship between good health and
good humor. In essence, laughter helps
restore physiological homeostasis.
Steps to initiate
humor therapy
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learn not to take yourself too seriously.
find one humorous thing a day.
work to improve your imagination and
creativity.
learn to hyperexaggerate when telling a
story.
Steps to initiate
humor therapy
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build a humor library.
find a host of varied humor venues.
access your humor network.
boost your self-esteem daily.