A Look at Humor, Laughter, Tickling, and the Brain Essay

A Look at Humor, Laughter, Tickling, and the Brain Everybody smiles and laughs at some time or another. The first laughter appears at about 3.5 to 4 months of age (8)., way before we are able to speak. The average adult laughs 17 times a day (4). Even monkeys and apes have some facial expressions that are similar to human smiles. But really, why do we laugh? Why are we not able to tickle ourselves? What part of the brain is responsible for laughter and humor? Why do we say some people have no sense of humor? We never go to the doctor because we feel good or because we think something is funny. Therefore, it is not a clinical problem; that is why there has not been much research done on the topic of laughter and the brain.†¦show more content†¦Laughter also increases blood pressure and heart rate, changes breathing, reduces levels of certain neurochemicals (catecholamines, hormones) and provides a boost to the immune system (3). Can laughter improve health? It may be a good way for people to relax because muscle tension is reduced after laughing. Human tests have found some evidence that humorous videos and tapes can reduce feelings of pain, prevent negative stress reactions and boost the brains biological battle against infection (1). More studies are needed in this field to uncover whether humor or some other component such as distraction, is the predominant factor in these results. Researchers believe we process humor and laughter through a complex pathway of brain activity that encompasses three main brain components. In one new study, researchers used imaging equipment to photograph the brain activity of healthy volunteers while they underwent a sidesplitting assignment of reading written jokes, viewing cartoons from The New Yorker magazine as well as The Far Side and listening to digital recordings of laughter. Preliminary results indicate that the humor-processing pathway includes parts of the frontal lobe brain area, important for cognitive processing; the supplementary motor area, important for movement; and the nucleus accumbens, associated with pleasure (1). Investigations support the notion that parts of the frontal lobe are involved in humor.Show MoreRelatedVampire Diaries61771 Words   |  248 PagesSixteen Are you having a good time? Elena asked. I am now. Stefan didnt say it, but Elena knew it was what he was thinking. She could see it in the way he stared at her. She had never been so sure of her power. Except that actually he didnt look as if he were having a good time; he looked stricken, in pain, as if he couldnt take one more minute of this. The band was starting up, a slow dance. He was still staring at her, drinking her in. Those green eyes darkening, going black with desire

Reflection Of Liverning In Lifeguarding - 1698 Words

There are very many activities that one would suspect have nothing to do with reading or writing. In fact 3 years ago I would have thought the same thing about lifeguarding when I decided to become a lifeguard in Jacksonville Beach. However it is very surprising how nearly all things on this planet have literate communities that are actively engaged in discourse and the lifeguarding organization that I became a member of happened to be one of them. Typically a lifeguarding organization such as Jacksonville Beach’s would fall under the same kind of literate community as any other emergency medical responder; their main discourse being on medical related topics. However, because our organization is 105 years old we have our own literate†¦show more content†¦To uphold such an aged community such as our own there must be rules, standards, and history that set this organization apart from any other life saving organization. The initial difference that exists between our or ganization and many others is the process by which you go through to join the organization. People that wish to join must take part in a 12 week recruit class that takes place every Sunday and lasts the entire day. In this class is where recruits are taught the required medical procedures such as BLS and CPR as well as proper lifeguarding techniques and the tradition behind everything we do in our organization. The recruit class alone already contains lots of tradition that has been significant for the last 100 years. For example, recruits must wear a wooden sign around their neck that is about a foot wide and 5 inches tall that says the words â€Å"Recruit (their name).† The recruits are also expected to wear all black and respect all members senior to them. During Initiation recruits are expected to complete a series of rituals that are all upheld by tradition, such as wearing a dead fish with a string tied to it around their neck. Once apart of the organization members are kept permanently unless they are discharged or resign so they never have to do the recruit class again. In the

Benefits of Social Networking Free Essays

The Benefits of Social Networking Social media sites do more good than bad. They allow people to reconnect and create relationships, show creative expression in a new medium, and also bring people that share common interests together. Mark Zuckerberg said, â€Å"At Facebook, we build tools to help people connect with the people they want and share what they want, and by doing this we are extending people’s capacity to build and maintain relationships. We will write a custom essay sample on Benefits of Social Networking or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Social media sites allow people to create new relationships and give them the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family. Increasing communication, even without being able to see a person, strengthens a relationship. Mike Chalmers wrote an article in USA Today that was about military families using Facebook and Skype to contact their families. Army Maj. Thomas Murphy would Skype with his wife and two daughters almost daily while his year in Iraq. â€Å"You could break away from the monotony of everyday stress and feel like you’re back home for a bit,† said Murphy, (Chalmers). The connection made his deployment more bearable and eased his return home, said his wife. Bianca Murphy said, â€Å"He was part of their day-to-day life, so there was no adjustment that this was some stranger in a uniform,† (Chalmers). Some people have been able to keep friendships going after high school with social networking sites. Even though they can’t see that person as much as they once did they can see what’s still going on in their life. They’ve also been able to start new ones with the people they meet at college or work. Social media sites also allow for creative expression through blogging, messaging, photo storage, and much more. AC. Lowney and T. O’Brien presented a case of a 30-year-old patient with pontine glioblastoma multiform. On admission to the Specialist Palliative Care Inpatient Unit, he had a complete right hemiplegia. He would communicate with the staff by using the notepad function of his iPad, and he would also use his iPad to update his blog. He’d updated the blog on an almost daily basis, describing his physical and psychological status, (Lowney). His blog also had messages of support from others with similar diagnoses. Blogging was this patient’s way to express the existential distress he was feeling since he was diagnosed with pontine glioblastoma multiform. He felt cheated on life, and being unable to hold his 1-year-old son was dreadful to him, (Lowney). Social media sites are a great way to express thoughts and feelings. Blogging is able to help people emotionally heal by connecting with people who also have the same problems and receive advice. Blogging is a creative way to inspire people, (Lowney). Finally, social media sites have the ability to bring people with common interests together. Highlight, works by rummaging through your Facebook account to see whom you know and what topics you like, (McCracken). It uses your iPhone’s GPS to inform you when a fellow conference attendee who’s a former co-worker’s buddy is in your immediate vicinity or when a good-looking patron who loves the same bands you do sits down at the other end of the bar,† (McCracken). Soci al media sites like Facebook, give people the ability to click on pages you’re interested to see other people with the same interest. Also, people who have a difficulty communicating in person could be more comfortable interacting over the sites, (McCracken). In conclusion, social media sites are able more good than bad. They allow people to reconnect and create relationships, show creative expression in a new medium, and also bring people together that share common interests. â€Å"The thing that we are trying to do at Facebook, is just help people connect and communicate more efficiently,† (Zuckerberg). How to cite Benefits of Social Networking, Essay examples