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Essays about the positive effects of laughter on emotional and physical health
Essays about the positive effects of laughter on emotional and physical health
Essays about the positive effects of laughter on emotional and physical health
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Humour allows other's to understand a difficult situation without feeling the need to feel uncomfortable about it. In Duman's "Sweet, Sour, and Resentful," the author uses humour to address a rather taxing situation their mother has found herself in. With the daily need to cook, or plan, or head to the market, or answer phone calls, she is constantly focused on a secular task. She is not allowed a moments rest, because she cannot allow herself to slip up, and have her rice overcook once more, or anything to be a step less than perfect. The story uses humour to cover the hardship this woman is facing; that she must work herself to the bone because it is expected of her. In Melby's "How to Make a Sno-Cone," the author uses humour to address
the hazard of a child working at a food vendor. 'First, don't kill anyone,' is how it begins, adding levity to the story, but also giving the reader a glimpse of what is to come. The author continues on, explaining various ways in how they go about their work. Most of these we know to be a health code violation, such as using the scoop when it is dangerous, or wiping the machine of a bug with a simple paper towel. The story as a whole can be found as humourous, while shadowing the careless disregard that comes with a child working in a more serious environment. Humour is nearly a universal language. Humour allows you to see and understand your flaws, and allows other's to as well, without the serious tone it would normally have. It is a relatable trait that most have. It is something we have all used in one situation or another, and we can all understand it. Humour allows what might have been a 'heavy' and 'deep' situation to become a lighter, more carefree one, no matter the context. Both these story have used humour in these ways, allowing the reader to dive in and understand the situation, without having actually lived it themselves.
...y different reasons. Some people even laugh when something horrible occurs, it is a method of escape from what horrors or mishaps are going on around you. “Many psychotherapists find humor a valuable tool in helping their patients to solve their social and emotional problems.” (G. Samuel) Chief bromden was having many problems once he learned to laugh especially at him self he was mostly cured. He was considered a chronic but after Mcmuprhy showed him that he has the ability to laugh and coincide with a group he was some what cured. “jokes and commissions enable individuals to defend against anxieties, fear, anger, and other disturbing emotions.”(G. Samuel) This was true in the chief’s and Harding’s case. Both of them left the institution.
Thoughtful laughter is a technique used frequently in satirical pieces in literature. It allows for the audience to enjoy the wittiness of a work, later ponder on the meaning, and then apply the message to reality. Thoughtful laughter is often an inner experience that can only be achieved by authors who write meticulously. Two examples of satirical works in literature that display this concept explicitly are Voltaire’s Candide and C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Both authors explore the depths of satire and simultaneously deliver an important message to readers through skillful technique.
In “Turkeys in the Kitchen,” an essay written by Dave Barry, humor is used as an aid to make a point about the usefulness of men after Women’s Liberation. “A Plague of Tics,” a personal narrative written by David Sedaris, uses a different kind of humor to explain the reasoning behind his behavior. Through these two essays and their author’s personal experiences, humor is presented as a device to captivate reader’s attention and declare the author’s intended meaning.
Psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists study humor because it is a fundamental culture value, but they still can’t determine why certain things make some people laugh and others not. There are “humor quotient” tests that are designed to measure an individual’s sense of humor, but these tests are questionable. These tests aren’t accurate because almost all humor depends on cultural background knowledge and language skills. Not every person in the whole world, or even in one country share the same background knowledge and skills, therefore they cannot have the same type of humor. “The fact remains that individuals vary in their appreciation of humor” (Rappoport 9). Since humor varies from individual to individual, humor lies in the individual. How successful or funny a joke is depends on how the person receives the joke, humor cannot be measured by a statistical
Steve Almond’s “Funny is the New Deep” talks of the role that comedy has in our current society, and most certainly, it plays a huge role here. Namely, through what Almond [Aristotle?] calls the “comic impulse”, we as a people can speak of topics that would otherwise make many of uncomfortable. Almond deems the comic impulse as the most surefire way to keep heavy situations from becoming too foreboding. The comic impulse itself stems from our ability and unconscious need to defend and thus contend with the feeling of tragedy. As such, instead of rather forcing out humor, he implies that humor is something that is not consciously forced out from an author, but instead is more of a subconscious entity, coming out on its own. Almond emphasizes
When there is humor involved people seem to enjoy things way better, the reason for this is that people will
“The practical disengagement of humor…helps explain the opposition between amusement and negative emotions.” (530) There are three effects of humor; irresponsibility, blocking compassion, and promoting prejudice. Humor can take away what we are/should be doing in life and sometimes there isn’t anything wrong with that. Sometimes when we hear a hateful thing we just laugh it off as if it was no big deal when it really was. “An
3. Apte, Mahadev L. Humor and Laughter: An Anthropological Approach. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1985.
...asy. The way in which these issues are brought to the forefront can effectively generate change. The use of comedy is this way shows how everyone may view each other. When this view is negative, exposing the absurdity of the wrongful views can assist with change. Such touchy subjects can in turn become talked about more for the better and promote communication. With that, its subject can become less sensitive and become lightened and less grave.
Comedy differs in the mood it approaches and addresses life. It presents situations which deal with common ground of man’s social experience rather than limits of his behaviour – it is not life in the tragic mode, lived at the difficult and perilous limits of the human condition.
Australian humour is very unique to Australia, and many other cultures find it quite unusual. It can be described as dry, anti-authoritarian, self-mocking, very ironic and as to stretch the boundaries of what is acceptable. Our humour is seen through our use of slang, print cartoons, radio sketches, comedy series’ on television, films, everyday life and in Australian literature. According to the Collins Dictionary and Thesaurus , humour means, “The quality of being funny; the ability to appreciate or express that which is humorous; situations, speech or writings that are humorous”. Due to its unique qualities, it will become apparent that Australian humour is quiet different to that of America and England and other nations. To highlight the importance of humour through the development of Australian identity, five main elements have been identified. These are, the part Australian humour plays in Australian identity, its unique qualities, its integral part in the Australian identity, the role of humour in times of great hardship and other nation’s perceptions of Australian humour. It is through these elements that it will become evident that humour is an important part of the development of the Australian identity.
Comedy is a phenomenal form of entertainment that consists of many elements that are made to make the audience laugh and snicker. Dorothy Parker’s short story, “The Waltz”, is a splendid exemplar of comedic literature. It contains many components of humor and never fails to wrench laughter from readers, but what makes this story so hysterically hilarious? One of the ingredients that made “The Waltz” so prominent in the world of satire is hyperboles. Parker uses exaggerations such as “And here I've been locked in his noxious embrace for the thirty five years thus waltz has lasted.”
Laughing is powerful and if someone laughs with people they love, I believe this can solve any hardship they are going through. A laugh can mean a number of different things and can be thought of as a universal language, it can mean joy, happiness, nervousness, or confusion. Everyone can do it, everyone can use it and everyone can understand it, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or religion. It's something that doesn't separate us from others, instead it brings us together. A laugh is something that can change someone’s entire day around. Whether someone is feeling down or upset about something, we all know that, regardless of what the circumstances are, if we see something that makes us laugh we start to feel better. Aside from making us feel good or better emotionally, laughter has been scientifically proven to help keep us healthy. Laughter has the capability to strengthen the immune system, lower blood sugar, enhance blood flow and circulation, as well as reduce stress, burdens and conflicts. This weird yet wonderful sound is an essential part of life. Laughter brings individuality and fun to an otherwise ordinary
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and
Those who use humor to its best advantage teach others by example. Instead of getting angry when something goes wrong, we should try to look for the humor in the situation. It eases tensions and keeps things in perspective. Humor can energize us when a task has become tedious. Humor can make even the worst of situations tolerable.