Humor and it Benefits

Humor People often ignore the importance of humor in their lives and this can lead to a series of problems as a result of them failing to use this concept as a tool to improve life in general. Sharing laughter is likely to improve social relations as individuals feel happy and the level of intimacy increases.

In addition to this, laughter also causes healthy physical changes in the body, as humor and laughter improve the condition of a person's immune system, reduce the level of pain, and are probable to reduce one's chances to become stressed. To a certain degree, one could consider humor to be a type of medicine that is effective, cheap, and particularly easy to use.

Even with the fact that it was not until modern technology was actually able to prove that humor can have a positive effect on people's well-being, humanity has long suspected this and people in the past often promoted laughter as an effective tool to fight concepts like disease and depression. Society as a whole has a limited understanding of humor and this often makes it difficult for individuals to be able to use it effectively.

One of the principal reasons for this occurrence is the fact that people often tend to invent new types of humor as they are inclined to believe that humor promoted in the past was more vulgar while humor invented in the contemporary society is more complex and higher-minded (Hokenson 14). Humor has a particularly important effect on one's social life, taking into account that the respective individual can feel better about him or herself and can better integrate the social order as a result of using it.

"Negative and maladaptive forms of humor are associated with poorer self-esteem and interpersonal competence and higher levels of depression and anxiety." (McGhee 5) Therefore, it is also important for individuals to be able to understand the difference between a positive and a negative sense of humor. The latter can actually damage one's condition as a whole rather than to improve it. When being present in a positive manner, humor is very likely to improve inter-personal relationships, as it induces feelings of intimacy and thus brings people closer together.

A person who knows how to use humor is typically appealing to other individuals, as they come to believe that it would be beneficial for them to stay in an environment where humor is used properly. Even with the fact that many regard the workplace as an environment where individuals need to be serious, the reality is that humor, when used properly, can help individuals connect better and can improve teamwork in general. Humor is in many situations a positive concept because it reduces the risk of coming across conflicts.

When conflicts actually occur, positive types of humor can be essential in defusing them and in getting people involved to concentrate on the irony of the moment rather than to allow themselves to be irritated as a result. In many cases groups are created as a consequence of the fact that the individuals involved have a good understanding of the idea of humor. Furthermore, these respective individuals are probable to identify with each-other when considering the types of humor they appreciate and this is important in strengthening connections.

Allowing humor to become a dominant concept in people's lives is likely to improve their lives from a series of perspectives. "For example, Positive Psychology has shown that positive emotion in general facilitates effective coping with both acute and chronic stress and is associated with better psychological health." (McGhee 6) Positive emotion associated with humor can thus prove to play an essential role in helping people cope with diverse problems. Humor activates reward or pleasure centers in the brain and this has an overall positive effect on the individual (McGhee 6).

One of the most important health effects linked to humor is muscle relaxation, as this enables the person being humored to experience several benefits, ranging from the psychological attributes of the feat to the fact that it improves one's physical condition. Muscle relaxation is a key concept when considering stress-management methods, taking into account that it removes stress and makes it possible for the individual to be more at peace with him or herself (McGhee 6). Humor is also important when considering its important physiological benefits.

The act can help individuals with cardiovascular problems, as it can lower heart rate and blood pressure to normal levels. To a certain degree, it would be safe to say that humor can have a positive psychological effect that can lead to a positive physiological effect. Stress is typically accompanied by a number of health problems, including increased heart rate and blood pressure. As a consequence, the fact that humor can lower these values makes it possible for someone to understand the complexity involved in simply having a laugh.

Humor reduces the number of stress hormones present in the blood when a person has problems and thus reduces the risk of the respective individual experiences numerous health problems associated with this process. A person who is experienced in managing his or her emotions has an advantage when he or she is struggling to fight diverse problems.

"You can consciously use humor to pull yourself out of a negative mood (whether from anger, anxiety or non-clinical depression) and substitute a more positive, upbeat frame of mind in its place." (McGhee 6) Humor can thus be the solution to many problems that a person comes across.