Laughter is the new meditation

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

Copyright: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/profile_daynamore'>daynamore / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Stress relief from laughter? Yes, no joke*

There’s something about the holidays which, unintentionally, dials up the stress for all of us. If you are a brain tumor victim, survivor or caretaker, stress isn’t good. So here’s advice from the Mayo Clinic – laugh. 

You may say, “wait-a-minute, I am a brain tumor victim (or survivor or caretaker), how can I laugh about that?!” In some ways that’s the conundrum. According to a posting on the Mayo Clinic’s website - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00034 - laughter has important short and long benefits.

Need help laughing? Here’s some of my favorite funny movies. Rent these and laugh.

Airplane

Animal House

Blazing Saddles

Ghostbusters

Trading Places

There’s something about Mary

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

If for some reason you’re unfamiliar with these, you can find links to them at: http://www.imdb.com/list/RBz-9DRlemU/

John

*This is the headline from the Mayo Clinic posting

Scientifically speaking, laughter is good for you

If you’re somebody battling a brain tumor or cancer or even a hip replacement, laughing probably doesn’t come easy.  Here’s some old-ish evidence suggesting that you should find something to laugh about.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200504/laughter-the-best-medicine 

Tri-Spy through my little eye…

I met Joan Gatz of The Brain Store at The Brain Store near my house this week and I went through their in-house assessment.

It was kinda fun.

I told her that I need to work on my visual scanning (due to my blind spot) and on my spatial relations.  

She then asked me a series of pretty non-threatening questions about my strengths and weaknesses and hardly laughed at my answers.

She then gave me some product recommendations that would not only address my weaknesses (e.g. ColorCode, Tri-Spy, Quarto), but also give me a few stretch goals for my strengths, like Pathwords. Since I don’t have an occupational therapist giving me direction any more, it’s nice to have some impartial advice.

I ended up buying Tri-Spy online which looks like it could be fun.

Another thing I like about The Brain Store website is that the product descriptions tell you what area of the brain the puzzle with address.  For example, Pathwords will help activate/work out the Broca's and Wernicke's areas of the brain.

I also forgot about all the brain books that they carry.  The next time I’m there I’m going to buy Laughter: A Scientific Investigation by Robert R. Provine, mostly because the cover photograph is just a hoot.

My biggest issue now is going to be finding somebody to play Tri-Spy with me.