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Laughter has been used as a therapeutic tool for many years because it is a natural form of medicine. Laughter is available to everyone and it provides benefits to a person's physical, emotional, and social well being. Some of the benefits of using laughter therapy are that it can relieve stress and relax the whole body. [32]
"People often overlook the benefits of laughter," said one doctor. "Research shows that laughter can reduce stress, boost the immune system and even help alleviate pain."
In depressive and bipolar disorders, crying, anger or laughter are typically indicative of mood, whereas the pathological displays of crying which occur in PBA are often in contrast to the underlying mood, or greatly in excess of the mood or eliciting stimulus. In addition, a key to differentiating depression from PBA is duration: PBA episodes ...
Gelotology (from the Greek γέλως gelos "laughter") [1] is the study of laughter and its effects on the body, from a psychological and physiological perspective. Its proponents often advocate induction of laughter on therapeutic grounds in alternative medicine. The field of study was pioneered by William F. Fry of Stanford University. [2]
The theory was one of the fundamental tenets of the teachings of the Greek physician-philosopher Hippocrates (460–370 BC), who is regarded as the first practitioner of medicine, appropriately referred to as the "Father of Modern Medicine". [51] With the advent of the Doctrine of Specific Etiology, the humoral theory's demise hastened even further
It has been suggested that the majority of patients with pathological laughter and crying have pseudobulbar palsy due to bilateral corticobulbar lesions and often a bipyramidal involvement of arms and legs. [7] To further confirm the condition, MRI can be performed to define the areas of brain abnormality. [citation needed]
Laughter and joy, according to relief theory, result from this release of excess nervous energy. [1] According to relief theory, humor is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions and reveal suppressed desires. It is believed that this is why we laugh while being tickled, due to a buildup of tension as the tickler "strikes." [1] [7]
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