I
just read an article by Amanda Chan in The
Huffington Post where she writes that a recent research study found that “Joyful
laughter and meditation look similar in the brain…: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/28/laughter-meditation-brain_n_5201339.html
Chan
reports that “A small study from Loma Linda University researchers shows that
when people engage in humor-associated mirthful laughter, their brain wave
frequencies are similar to that which are seen when a person engages in
meditation.”
More specifically, the researchers noted that "Humor
Associated with Mirthful Laughter sustains high-amplitude gamma-band
oscillations. Gamma is the only frequency found in every part of the
brain," study researcher Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, of Loma Linda University,
said in a statement. "What this means is that humor actually engages the
entire brain -- it is a whole brain experience with the gamma wave band
frequency and humor, similar to meditation, holds it there; we call this being,
'in the zone.’
In
case you’re wondering, being “in the zone” is a good thing, because, as the
researchers stated, "We suggest HAML [humor associated mirthful laughter]
may be another non-pharmacological lifestyle intervention to provide health,
wellness [and] adjunctive therapeutic benefits.”
I’ve
blogged on the brain benefits of meditation a number of times. Here’s a link to
my most recent meditation blog post: http://johnstumor.blogspot.com/2014/05/12-ways-yoga-meditation-helps-nourish.html
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