Humor 2

 As a columnist my favorite subject is humor. My appreciation for various jokes depends on my mood. I particularly like jokes that have a sudden twist in the punch line. An example. Two guys were great friends and argued all the time. One was black, the other one was white. Their favorite topic was whether God was white or black.

 One day while driving together and arguing they failed to see an oncoming truck. It smashed and killed them. Ending up in heaven, they commented that soon they would know if God was black or white. The first thing He said was, “Buenos dias, amigos.” 

 The moment you laughed there was secreted from your brain an endorphin. It has the same molecular combination as morphine, an opiate. “It is the most important narcotic and addictive principle of Opium,” according to Webster’s dictionary.

 The primary purpose of morphine is as a painkiller. Endorphins are also stimulated in the brain as a result of exercising. Laughter and exercise both are tied to endorphins.

 Let’s try it again. The cop gets out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down the window. “I’ve been waiting for you all day,” said the cop. The kid replied, “Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could.” When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket. Let the endorphins flow.

 There is another benefit to humor that is often neglected. I refer to the immune system that everyone has. It is indigenous to all mammals, of which we are a part. Webster defines it as “a group of white cells that protect the body. It destroys malignant cells and removes cellular debris.”

 We do know the immune system is weak when we were babies (need shots), when we are elderly (need rest, good food) and when we are under stress.

 Believe it or not, laughter strengthens the immune system. Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Norman Cousins proved this in a laboratory setting.

 Baseline blood samples were taken on several volunteers, jokes were told and humorous anecdotes were shared and then another blood test. The white blood count rose 50% higher. It was later duplicated with other volunteers.

 Let’s try it again. A blonde went into Stater’s for a turkey. After examining several, she asked a bag boy if any of the birds got any bigger. His answer was classic. “No ma’am they don’t. They are all dead.”

 If you laughed, you immune system received a significant surge. We’re still on turkeys. One Thanksgiving Day a young house wife called a radio station with a profound question. “Sir, I have a 20 pound turkey. How long will it take to cook it?” He had to look it up and said, “Just a minute.” She said, “Thank you,” and hung up. Laughter is the best recipe for Thanksgiving.

 A sure fire way to forestall the onslaught of dementia or Alzheimer’s is to develop mental alertness. Humor does that.

 Jokes usually have an unexpected twist to them. A double entendre. A double meaning. Most studies of the afore mentioned illnesses advocate  that studying a language, doing puzzles, learning an instrument or working a computer stimulates the brain cells.

 For the same reason I recommend listening to or telling jokes. Following the twists and turns of a joke will increase mental alertness.

 An example. A wife realized at the breakfast table that she needed a quart of milk. She asks her husband to go to the grocery store and get a quart of milk. Then she says, “If they have eggs, get six of them. He returns with six quarts of milk. Asked to explain why the six quarts, he says, “They had eggs.”

 The twists and turns stimulate the thought process.

 The fourth benefit of humor and laughter is their contribution to stress reduction. One writer describes laughter as “inner jogging.” The organs move and bounce to a belly-laugh. Thus, the body relaxes.

 Norman Cousins in his book, “Anatomy of An Illness,” tells how laughter contributed to his healing from a collagen illness. This has been verified many times.

 But it has equally been proven as a contributor to optimal health. It is a healer.

 Martin Luther, the great Protestant Reformer is reported as saying that if there wasn’t laughter in heaven, he didn’t want to go there. Sounds good to me.

Amen. Selah. So be it.

 

    Bill Abersold Ph.D

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G. W. Abersold Ph.D