Life may have many difficulties, but there’s usually a funny side to every situation.
My cousin Karina Wegner is a psychologist in Australia’s sub-tropical Hervey Bay. Karina’s well-researched expert opinion is that “you should have as much fun as possible and laugh as much as you can. When you couple these together, you should be able to keep ‘depression’ (what they now call the disease of the 21st century) away. When you enjoy yourself and laugh, you will increase the serotonin levels in your body, thereby decreasing the risk of depression. When my clients leave my office in Queensland’s Hervey Bay, my practice manager makes sure the client is laughing or at least smiling before they leave. I have a waiting list of near three months and my clients travel long distances to see the “Optimistic Psychologist.”
University studies have shown laughter can improve your immune system. increase disease-fighting antibodies and lower inflammation in the body. Laughter increases heart rate and blood flow and has similar health benefits to exercising. Endorphins are released during laughter, which helps to relieve pain, reduce cravings and stress, and slow the ageing process.
Humour can alleviate feelings of stress and depression.
It’s not always easy but when family and colleagues test your patience, put a smile on your face – even forced smiles help. Try to find the humour in the situation and make a light-hearted comment.
Not always easy, but give it a go!
This is an extract from Victor Perton’s new book, “Optimism: The How and Why” available from Amazon in Paperback and Kindle.