July 31, 2023
by Elizabeth Pratt
Ever heard that laughter is the best medicine? Now science backs it up.
Researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK have found that both laughter and humor are important tools that can impact wellbeing, particularly in the workplace and in health related settings.
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November 6, 2020
by Tina Arnoldi
Recently, Vermont’s Center for Cartoon Studies released “Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health”, a 24-page comic book geared toward middle and high school students. Cara Bean, a cartoonist and art educator who collaborated on this project, shared her experience with this project.
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December 19, 2018
by Elizabeth Pratt
Is the honeymoon period long over in your marriage? The University of California Berkeley may have some good news for you. They found that as married couples age, bickering is replaced with humour.
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A new study in the June issue of Emotion found a connection between people with the short version of gene 5-HTTLPR and a more significant sense of humor. The study looked at 336 adults, showing them humorous comics and film clips, and rating the participants intensities of smiles or laughter. Those with the shorter alleles had more intense reactions of laughter or smiles and rated the comics or film clips as funnier than those with the longer alleles of the same gene. In past research, the 5-HTTLPR gene has been linked to regulating serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is thought to be related to mood fluctuations.
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You probably have heard that laughing is good for your health...but just how good is it? You may be surprised.
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