Enormous diversity of the Komische
For Norman Cousins, there was no better pain reliever than an appearance of the “Blues Brothers”. Died in 1990, U.S. journalist and author suffered for many years at Spondylarthritis, a chronic inflammation of the spinal joints. Nothing seemed his complaints without unpleasant side effects can be alleviated – except the gags Komikerduos of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Ten minutes of hearty laughter gave Cousins after his own sentiment about two hours pain free.
In his book “Anatomy of an Illness” described the doctor learned the success of his self-prescribed Lachkur. They apparently insulates even physical inflammation reactions, which ultimately recovered cousins committed himself as a humor researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles.
The credo of such a miracle healings inspired community is Frohsinn not only protects against physical and mental illnesses, but can also cure. As the proceeding, but no one knew exactly. And so was the “therapeutic humor” a long time just outside the clinics and laboratories trailers. In view of many promising findings explore physicians and psychologists, however, recently reinforced the protective and therapeutic effect of our sense of humor.
Even the ancient philosopher Aristotle saw in laughter “a physical activity are of great value to health.” This general appreciation remains in force – although it is difficult, the claimed link between amusement and fitness scientifically demonstrated.
Main obstacle: the measurable impact that vocal salvos stakkatoartigen hold usually only briefly. The acute side effects of laughter are similar to those of physical activity – the muscles contract, the heartbeat accelerates, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen turnover to rise. But even the laughter schallendste hardly lasts more than a few seconds.
How physiological tests in the 1930s showed, the muscle tone up to a three minutes after the laughter humiliated, say: The body relaxes. And the pain sensitivity is initially reduced. This is probably due to the release of endorphins, which in the brain, triggering feelings of pleasure, while the transmission of pain stimuli dampen. But soon everything is back to the Old – until the next Frohsinnsattacke.
The bill is often spread, a strong health-Haha seems so like 15 minutes jogging, seems so out of thin air – in any case, what the lasting effect on the cardiovascular system is concerned.
Another trail leads to the endogenous messenger substances: There are indications that the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood drops exhilarated people. As a permanently high cortisol levels demonstrated the immune system weakens, the mechanism can prepare against disease.
2007 registered researchers at the University of Osaka (Japan) also decreased levels of the messenger substance Chromogranin A (CGA) in the saliva of subjects that had previously seen a funny movie had, compared to viewers of a neutral video, CGA is used primarily by the adrenal medulla paid if our vegetative nervous system by psychological stress in riot equipment. The entertaining comedy which apparently opposite effect.
Enormous diversity of the Komische
However, other studies could reflect the impact of humor on the hormonal stress response does not confirm. One possible reason for this ambiguous image: The shapes of the Komische are extremely varied – from reading a cartoon or hear a corny jokes about self-irony, sarcasm, puns, laughing out of embarrassment, envy or gloating, to slapstick ä la “Dick und Doof”. Humor researchers Gelotologen also called (from the Greek gelos – laughter) differ up to 2500 functions. A lot of fun because we are busy or to smile at, laugh out loud but it is not necessarily.
Conversely, can not even laugh at each Humor close. The psychologist Robert Provine of the University of Maryland at Baltimore (USA) polled, only about every fifth of the average 20 Lacher, an adult day ausstößt, based on comedy. The largest part of our giggle and Geprustes transmit more messages: When we laugh, we signify approval, sympathy, and openness, play on aggression or boredom, confusion a sense of togetherness, or vice versa limitless others.
What the medical effects of Unernstes concerns, it is so precisely between laughter and humor to differentiate. The latter means above all a spiritual power – the ability to situations or people on very specific way. Many researchers are looking for the keys to the boon of wit consequently more in reflection than in immediate physiological responses.
The psychological equivalent of the resilience of the body is resilience. Behind this concept lies a kind of mental strength, such as the talent crisis or to cope with defeats, and even bitter experiences yet abzugewinnen something positive – whether the failure of a relationship or the loss of praise.
The psychologist Willibald Ruch in this area provides the greatest benefits of a strong tendency to laughter: “Humor strengthens the psyche,” is the personality researchers from the University of Zurich convinced.
In the same direction indicated as early as 1990 a study by Nancy Yovetich and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA). The researchers College guides students to a pain test in the laboratory. While the volunteers an unpleasant shock awaited. heard some of them a funny story of the band, the rest got a dry dust presents its report.
Both the “bespaßten” victims as well as just reach the heart rate remained stable – the sign of their anxiety – remains high. Nevertheless, the participants were from the group wit the expected pain serene preclude such subsequent survey showed. The difference was, therefore, the contents of the preview. Comic angst seemed to solve: not neutral distraction. That said, moreover, that those participants in the previous personality test as lachfreudiger shown an overall greater pain tolerance demonstrated.
At the same results were also Ruch and his staff Zweyer Karen and Barbara Velke 2004 – ice water in their attempt. The subjects had their forearm while in a bucket of cold water diving, within which recently caused an unpleasant stinging. Who endured the procedure, on average, longer? Those with a great sense of humor – as measured by their response to a seven »Mr. Bean “show: Persons with lively joy mimic expression of the sketch during the cold stimulus endured stoically behind.
Fortunately, there is – the joke!
The individual sense of humor identified as the State-Trait cheerfulness-inventory (STHI), a questionnaire survey of humor slope. The mid-1990s it had developed with colleagues Ruch. The test questions STHI to differentiate between the current mood (state) – triggered by some humorous – and the permanent tendency (trait), in such respect, or even to produce. As an Internet survey of more than 2500 people showed grows with the Humorfaible the life satisfaction: who appreciates humor, is bottom line happier.
In an earlier attempt had the same humor researchers already experimentally demonstrated. Subjects solved a series of simple tasks in an extremely drab, black painted room – a second group was allowed on the other hand, the same test in a cozy, bright room training. The current environment did its effect in subsequent mood test volunteers cut out the “scary room” much worse. And once again, were contemporaries of humor with a high propensity advantage. You put the meager surroundings less.
But what exactly distinguishes a humorous about the “serious” view of things? After Inkongruenztheorie wit and humor is mostly a mental rotation basis, a paradox or Deplatzierung: Funny, when coming together, what does not belong together. Simple example: “Can you tell me what time it is?” Squire Answer: “Yes.” – A not particularly original, but funny in a double sense replica.
Just as humor often arises here, if expectations about what others think or want to run into the void. Who does not understand that question at the time focusing on the remains closed Pointe. Empathic skills shortages, for example, autistic people recognize the humor of such utterances are not.
However there is still a further ingredient, somewhat amused. Finally coaxed us not every misunderstanding or cheerful chortle puzzle. What is missing here is the surprising resolution of the irregularity, the highlight of the whole thing in a new light appear. This is a mental change of perspective is necessary – and within a few moments. Thereafter, the phrase most witty, but no longer funny.
This “different view” keeps Michael Titze – Founder of humor Care Germany, an association for the promotion of therapeutic humor – is crucial because it helps a cognitive distance and the respective situation einzunehmen. Komik break deadlock pattern, relative to their own views and do so many situations the threat. In a word: What are you laughing, that’s a non to the kidneys.
“No doubt,” wrote Sigmund Freud in an essay of 1928, “the essence of humor is that you are spared the emotions with which the situation would cause, and with a joke about the possibility of such feeling is beyond expression.” In the humor as a pressure valve of the psyche Freud saw a relative of neurosis and delusion – and substantiated his thesis on the example of a person sentenced to death, on a Monday led to the scaffold is underway and ponders: “The week starts so good!” Who so on one’s own destiny joke could rise above his lot.
Admittedly, not every gag has the stuff to us about the evils of the world hinwegzutrösten. Also, mismatch and its surprising resolution not always necessary ingredients of comedy dar. The fun at the absurdity around without mental re-evaluation of: someone slipping on a banana peel or gebärdet are clumsy, tempting us to laugh, because it is beyond the scope of the usual or beyond socially acceptable. Such nonsense amusedly especially children – by the way, laugh more often than adults, namely up to 400-times a day!
Laughter from the blue
When so-called Lachyoga there is no cause for mirth. In recent years become popular exercises include diaphragmatic Gegacker on command, without anything that would be funny – except perhaps the situation itself, where a group of people suddenly in collective laughter erupts. If the avalanche once losgetreten, laughter reveals a similar effect to yawn: It infects.
Many participants of such courses reported by the dissolved mood, so the feelings of happiness, which they experience – and the providers advertise with the so-to-reach wellbeing. Is the “How-do-as-if” some have to make the humor shield to activate?
According to a classical theory of emotion feelings are rooted in our physical reactions: The American psychologist William James (1842-1910) and the Danish physiologist Carl Lange (1834-1900) argued at the end of the 19th Century, that man does not cry, because he is sad, but sad that he will if he is aware of the tears come. First arises the physiological arousal – the muscles are tense, the pulse races, sweat glands and tears open the floodgates – and then only arises from the current emotional state.
While this view later psychologists relativised: enabling people to artificially triggered palpitations times when joy and times interpret as anger, the path from body to spirit is not a one-way street. However, muscles and mimic perfectly the power to us in a certain mood to move.
The social psychologist Fritz Strack of the University of Würzburg, the once in a simple experiment to (see also G & GDossier 3 / 2006, p. 6). He put his subjects a pen into his mouth and asked them, either with the teeth or the lips einzuklemmen. In the first case, pull the corners of the mouth involuntarily with a smile high, in the second to make a face like three days of rain weather.
This small manipulation meant that the grinning volunteers subsequently presented comics were significantly funnier than those who mouth angle herunterklappten. So if even the contraction of facial muscles related to emotions leads – how happy it must only agree if the whole body trembles with laughter?
The Basel psychiatrist Marc Walter reported in a study of 20 elderly depressed patients who completed training humor, from a greater improvement in overall satisfaction than in the comparison group with standard therapy. Walter sees the joke sessions primarily an indirect benefit: “The patients are more open, to be lively in touch.” Humor and laughter led but not per se a relief – Psychotherapy with concomitant medication remained essential.
Even Jennifer Uecker man of the Ruhr-University Bochum depressed wants to help her to rediscover joke. It was however unexpected hurdles: Problems with perception of humor. Some patients (particularly serious question) often suffer from feelings about the disorder out of a reduced working memory or impaired empathy. The ability to adapt to the beginning of a joke to the punch and to remember the “real” intention of a person in mind, but are often essential in order to understand humor. Before you mentally relieving humor could practice, such barriers would have some training with the help of cognitive decline.
Even schizophrenia patients often show abnormalities in dealing with joy and humor – although other than Depressed. Psychotic utterances quickly measure unernsten Overly, overly literal meaning or to relate it to himself Additionally, schizophrenia worse by the laughter of their fellow human beings infected, making them an important element of the group sessions escapes.
Irina Falkenberg tested this in an experiment: They put the healthy and the sick in front of a computer screen on which times a cheerful countenance, seemed a sad times. After the face had disappeared, two arrows showing the direction in which the candidate test his own corners of the mouth should move. The arrows pointed upward, he should raise it (ie, smile), the arrows were directed downwards, was it a tragedy mouth up.
Healthy succeed mimic the joy quicker and easier when they face a pointed prepared. The same applies to the mourning countenance. In the incongruent conditions, on the other hand there are delays. Not so with schizophrenic: They always tend to the mouth angle hochzuziehen – no matter what they are presenting portraits.
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