1(a) According to the passage, what role does laughter play in our life ?
(i) It makes us socially acceptable.
(ii) It improves our health
.(iii) It tones our muscles.
(iv) All of the above
1(b)What do the US researchers say about laughter ?
(i) It is a good antidote to stress.
(ii) Too much laughter is bad.
(iii) Laughter makes us cry.
(iv) Laughter is a serious business.
(c)Who is a jovialist ?
(i) A person who helps you in the work.
(ii) A person who makes you laugh.
(iii) A person who is very friendly with you.
(iv) A person who treats you for depression.
(d)According to the passage, what precautions to be taken while laughing ?
(i) We should laugh slowly.
(ii) We should laugh with a friend.
(iii) We should not laugh at anybody.
(iv) We should laugh loudly.
(e) Which word in the passage means the same as doctors’ written instruction ?
(i) Encumbrances
(ii) Antidote
(iii) Tedium
(iv) Prescription
Answers
Answer:
Abstract
This is part three of a four-part series reviewing the evidence on how humor influences physiological and psychological well-being. The first article included basic background information, definitions and a review of the theoretical underpinnings for this area of research. The second article discussed use of humor as a complementary therapy within various clinical samples, as well as evidence concerning how a sense of humor influences physiological and psychological wellbeing. This third article examines how laughter influences health outcomes; including muscle tension, cardio-respiratory functioning and various stress physiology measures.
Keywords: humor, health, laughter, physiology
Introduction
As discussed in the first two parts of this series, there has been some evidence that sense of humor and exposure to a humorous stimulus can influence specific health outcomes (1, 2). However, more conclusive evidence for possible physiological effects of humor is documented in studies that examine the actions of the natural outcome of humor—mirthful laughter. If humor has a role in physical healing, one might expect some measurable physical changes in response to the action of laughing. Over the years, several studies have been conducted to document various physiological outcomes related to laughter. Some of these investigations were conducted during the infant stages of psychoneuroimmunology theory, with little subsequent comment or replication effort. Most researchers in this area have noted that it is very difficult to obtain funding for humor studies, particularly those involving expensive physiological outcome measures. In addition, it should be noted that most of the early studies used all male samples, and all of the studies have small sample sizes. Given these limitations, we have outlined what is known about the physiological effects of laughter.
Laughter as Exercise
Many lay publications and websites claim that laughter is equivalent to some forms of aerobic exercise. A quick search of the Internet using the Google search engine, using the terms laughter and aerobic exercise turned up the following statements all on the first page of the search: ‘Laughter may have similar effects on the body as aerobic exercise. … increasing the blood flow in the same way as a bout of aerobic exercise … Laughter stimulates heart and blood circulation and is equivalent to any other standard aerobic exercise. But are any of these statements based on scientific research? The truth is, documentation supporting these assertions is very limited.
One very early report by Paskind et al. (3) examined the impact of laughter upon muscle tone. Unlike the effects of some exercise, it was demonstrated that periods of intense laughter lead to decreased skeletal muscle tone or relaxation of muscle groups. During laughter, various muscle groups are activated for periods of seconds at a time, while the period immediately after the laugh leads to general muscle relaxation. This post-laughter relaxation can last up to 45 min (3).
A