Humor in Mental Health

Many mental health issues are caused from triggers that our brains find threatening and cause us to lose motivation and happiness in the things we enjoy the most. What if there was something that could help reverse what our brain is doing to us and end the Stigma of Mental Health issues, something so simple of just watching or even being around humor could make everything disappear? With research on how mental health affects the brain due to Comedy shows that being in an uplifting environment and experiencing humor can affect your mental health status in a positive way while exploring through different brain functions, types of mental health, and ways comedy is portrayed to make it beneficial to help Mental Health issues.

A Mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbance in thought and/or behavior resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines (Mental Health America). Many people only think of depression or anxiety as a mental health disorder but it is more than that like common things that happen to everyone like anger, eating problems, self-esteem and sleep problems. (Mayo) These are all common in everyday lives but for some of these tiny things to some can control their lives like what things they do, getting up in the morning or cracking a smile (Types.) Mental health doesn’t just affect one type of person or age but it affects everyone in different ways. One in four are dealing with some type of Mental illness that can lead them to a dark path that is hard to get out of. Mostly affecting young teens/ adults and the elderly mostly being on treated and having no support system. (WHO) Mental Health affects everyone regardless of culture, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Just because someone feels like having a mood swings or anxiety about a test or quiz doesn’t mean they have Mental Illness. It is estimated that eight million people are living their lives undiagnosed. (Mayo) Many don’t want to come forward and say they have a mental illness because of the wrap that having one does to people. (Who) That is the Stigma, the more people talk about it and except that it happens to people and there is a good outcome with help and support not everyone has to suffer for something our brain thinks is normal. (Importance) The stigma is something that is misunderstood which is making it harder to understand what is the truth and what is fake about Mental Health. By not talking about Mental Health and showing how it affects people in a negative way affects the brain to think it is not okay to talk about it showing others seeking help is foolish and not okay. A brain has time to develop but with development it has a lot to deal with where it all started.

The brain is unique in many ways including how people think, act, and even how people breathe. A neurotransmitter is “Electrical impulses and chemical signals carrying messages across different parts of the brain and between the brain and the rest of the nervous system” (brain basics). The National Institute of Mental Health summarizes that the neurotransmitters in the brain send chemical messages between neurons allowing the brain to control movement and basic thoughts. If the chemical signal didn’t work correctly where the signal wasn’t sent properly or the connection wasn’t great it can lead to mental illness causing depression. Serotonin controls functions like mood, appetite, and sleep, is a crucial thing in brains that helps in the synapse which helps the bonding process between neurons (NIMH). In National Institute of Mental Health dealing with how the brain communicates stated that “ the types of medication most commonly prescribed to treat depression act by blocking the recycling, or reuptake of serotonin by the sending of neurons.” (NIMH) With being the main part of how the brain starts with depression in the Anterior cingulate cortex is where depression has its biggest effect. The ACC in the brain focuses on making individuals feel motivated and stay focused, while managing proper emotional reactions. Stated in the NIMH if the ACC is damaged in anyway it is hard for the brain to “think” straight causing depression. Many researchers like the ones from the Mayo Clinic believe that mental illness can be inherited traits. Environmental exposure before birth like toxins, alcohol, or drugs, and dealing with brain chemistry. (Mayo) In the Heredity aspect it has been narrowed down to the lack or underdeveloped genes that are common in blood relatives. (Medicinenet) Now just because the parents have it doesn’t mean the offspring have the trait it is just a factor that the mental illness can show up do to a traumatic event. (medicinenet) Development of brains is crucial for taking in knowledge and being able to comprehend things through out lives but growing up not everyone has the perfect environment, childhood, or experience the knowledge and growth to have a healthy brain. Having a brain that has some kind of mental health issues can be determined by how someone acts, lives, and in some occasions it can be determined by where you live. Making the brain a unique part of our body by how it takes in and process information.

A brain is a very complex place but some how laughter can flip a switch and make everything seem less important. In testing from Use of Humor in Serious Mental Illness scientists tested humor in group therapy they found out the 95% of the time laughter was found in some social contexts. (Humor serious) In other studies they showed movies to two groups at a psychiatric hospital where in one group they showed two humorous movies daily and the other they showed “ regular movies over a three month span. The study was looking for the reduction of psychiatric symptoms, anxiety, depression, aggression, and improve social support. (Humor serious) The improvements were little but showed an higher connection between the patient and staff bond. Not only does mental health have effect your brain positively but progress is the key but it can’t just happen all at once. (Psychology) Dealing with the brain there is always different things to study, new discoveries on how the brain works or why the brain acts the way it does. It is the same with Mental health with different people and unique brains and living environments. With multiple different types of Mental health like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc. Not only is Mental health a serious issue to deal with it is harder when people don’t understand how much it hurts when there is no support from family and friends. Not being there and understanding is something that can make not only make their situation harder but making it harder to reach for support. Just being there cracking a joke, showing a smile, even a simple wave, or a start of a conversation can change the way they think about themselves or even seeking help can change their lives forever.

The environment has a huge impact on Mental Health and can make it better and or worse depending on the Mental Health conditions causing them to leave a damaging effect. (Psychology) It doesn’t just deal with where you live it is also how you live. In Psychology Today the article, 9 Lifestyle Factors that can affect your Mental Health says, “ one of the biggest impacts is exercise and activity level”. Exercise is given the wrap that it just helps with losing weight and being in shape, but for some helps your mental health status by working out clears your mind (Psychology) allowing your body to relax giving your brain a rest. With exercise comes a healthy diet not only becoming healthy it makes your body run better with giving nutrients, vitamins, and protein to function as the best body it can be. (Psychology) With exercise and a healthy diet there is also the social aspect of mental health. Almost everyone has a connection to some social website whether it be snapchat or facebook there is a connection that has to deal with self-esteem. People hold themselves to a lower standard making it almost impossible for them to get out of any mental health conditions that people are dealing with. (environmental) Dealing where location and how people adapt and fit in there is a bunch riding on the sleep someone will get. In How the Environment affects Mental health states that “ roughly 40 percent of Americans don’t get enough sleep if any ranging from ages 15–30 and 50–75.” (Psychology) This is due to the stress that is put on everyday lives making it harder to get sleep leading to lack of energy and willpower which is identified as Mental Health condition. Surprisingly there is a lot that can connect to the brain and how it functions not only dealing with how it works but how people treat their bodies, the genes, sleeping and eating habits that can all affect our Mental health status. So the question is how can the world make mental health less common to everyday people?

When thinking about ways to cheer people up or make them feel better about a situation the brain instantly thinks or diverts to humor. Now out of all the things that humor can do it makes the brain so called “happy” even though our mental state is not fully aware of what or

how it helps. Humor can help in a more ways than one. In Nurse learning humor is portrayed as, “ humor offers us a meaning of coping with life and stress.” The definition of meaning is, “ what is meant by a word, text, concept or action.” (dictionary) The use of humor, something as simple as laughing can have the biggest reaction on how people look at a situation, or problem, or even sitting around shooting the breeze. Through a study conducted to build humor through a 8 week cycle. With two groups, one focusing on building the skills of humor and the other just jumping right into watching comedy films from the 40s/ 50s. Each being tested on the same things one watching but observing and one just watching. Overall the group that learned not only helped

with coping with the stressful lives but also use humor more as a coping tool than before. Humor can be used in tougher situations than trying to liven up the mood it is used in coping with cancer by giving the patient a positive attitude making them believe in their fight or dealing with emergency and disaster situations. Dealing with something that can change a person’s life like a hurricane can bring them to an all time low but being there supportive to lighten up the mood, telling them they will be okay and there is a light at the end of the tunnel is something that can make there day by showing someone that cares. (Nursing) Stepping back to laughter and what it can bring Psychology today shows that people dealing with some type of pain were tested before and after a comedic video resulting in, “The results showed that overall, across all conditions, subjects who watched the comedy videos showed higher pain tolerance after watching it” (Psychology) Not only did research show that comedy helped with coping but it shows that

watching more comedy it can lead to a higher pain tolerance or more hardship and pain thrown at a person they can handle more. (Nursing)

Truth is that Laughter relaxes the whole body but with a good laugh relieves physical tension and stress while triggering the release of endorphin which is the natural feel-good chemical through the body. (Help guide) Laughter has amazing benefits by simply adding joy to someone’s life, Eases anxiety and tension, relieves stress, improves mood, and strengthens resilience. Laughter is something unique to people it can’t make someone feel anxious, angry or sad when laughing it also increases energy levels when laughing. Being able to bond with individuals is a key for survival. ( Help guide) Being able to bond over humor and laughing can change aspects of mental and emotional health. (Help Guide) Sharing humor is a big aspect but doesn’t just revolve around hearing jokes but being around and spending time with family and

friends can boost the mental status. (Psychology) Laughing can not only help the mental aspect but how to make people better and get over mental health issue but it also can help in the future when there is a trigger, event, or the feelings come back. Laughing can make a person more spontaneous, helps forget about judgements, criticisms, and doubts, while exposing to express someone’s true feelings and not holding back to step outside the comfort zones. (Help guide) Laughing has shown an impact on the brain in a positive way now being able to use it to benefit Mental Health to make an impact in someone’s life.

Now for some it is hard to bring themselves out of their shell and seek help but having the support system and having someone to lean on can go a long ways. By even trying to smile

can be difficult but even smiling can be contagious. People tend to stay to themselves and with Mental illnesses it can be hard to fully grasp how to involve or pursue something that can make

them happy. So by hearing laughter or seeing it go to it, the brain makes people get a “high” from laughing so the people will feed others making it beneficial for both sides. (Help Guide)

Bringing humor into any situation can make people enjoy and relive the moment in any situation. Spending time with fun playful people is something that everyone should have in their lives whether it be doing homework or just sitting around being with someone. Humor connects at many different levels mentally, physically, and spiritually each hitting a different spots. Being with people who make you happy are like family and friends making the brain think everything is better by relaxing. (Help Guide) Seeing people in an uplifting environment brings the dopamine level up making the feel-good level go up, so being around people laughing or uplifting environment can delay or lack the Mental Health.

Having a Mental Illness can make it hard to involve themselves in any situation making it difficult to receive help. In today’s age people think that they need to keep quite and just deal with it. The other problem is that people are uneducated about how common mental health is. That it is okay to get help, getting help is the biggest thing someone with Mental health can do for themselves and the ones who care about them. By getting involving, being with friends, laughing, being involved even if everything is telling them not to. Mental Health is a serious topic that is taken lightly when dealing with everyday issues. Many people ignore the signs, go

on with their day, or make things worse and don’t get help making it hard to recover from the damage it has already done. Less and less people are getting help due to the lack of support and

benefits actually seeking help gets. Making the first step to getting help is one step to beating Mental Health and not letting it control of someone’s life. Take off the mask off, enjoy laughter because being out there being with people who make everything seem real can be the ones that will be able to make them laugh, smile, and appreciate themselves like the simplest thing of laughter can change their life in the most positive way.

With the information stated from above it concludes that Mental Health is a serious topic that can be improved and sometimes help lessen the negatives effects of Mental Health by being humorous, surrounding yourself, and even living in a humorous environment, but not everyone is a like. With the information above it says that the brain is unique which means everyone is different on how they learn, think, and react to certain situations involving humor. Not everyone will get benefits from humor but the data collected says it can help prevent and better impact the brain to dealing with mental health. Humor is not a solution for ending mental health but can make a difference on how people cope and grow from experience. With being around friends, family, and people that can be the support make all the difference in how Humor can benefit Mental Health Status in a positive way even if it is not right away.

Work cited:

“Brain Basics.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/educational-resources/brain-basics/brain-basics.shtml.

“Causes of Mental Illness.” WebMD, WebMD, 2015, www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-causes-mental-illness#1.

Davey, Brian. “Mental Health Enviroment.” Mental Health and the Environment, Mental Health and the Environment, 2015, www.bgmi.us/web/bdavey/MentalHealth.htm.

Greengross, Gil. “Can Humor and Laughter Boost Your Health?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 14 Feb. 2012, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/humor-sapiens/201202/can-humor-and-laughter-boost-your-health.

Hedger, Alex. “Does Where You Live Affect Your Mental Health?” Dynamic You, Therapy Clinics, 28 May 2015, dynamicyou.org/the-geographic-link-does-where-you-live-affect-your-mental-health/.

Hindawi. “The Use of Humor in Serious Mental Illness: A Review.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Hindawi, 3 Jan. 2011, www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2011/342837/.

“Laughter Is the Best Medicine.” Laughter Is the Best Medicine: The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter, Trusted Guide to Mental Health, 2016, www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm.

Lewis, Tanya. “Many Mental Disorders Affect Same Brain Regions.” LiveScience, Purch, 4 Feb. 2015, www.livescience.com/49694-mental-illness-brain-similarities.html.

Marx, Groucho. “Humor and MentAL Health.” Humor and Mental Health: Using Humor to Cope With Stress (Part of Humor and Health Online CEU Course), Nurse Learning , 2015, www.nurseslearning.com/courses/nrp/nrpcx-w0009/html/body.humor.page7.htm.

“Mental Disorders Affect one in Four People.” World Health , NMH Communications, Jan. 2001, www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/.

“Mental Illness and the Family: Recognizing Warning Signs and How to Cope.” Mental Health America, Mental Health America, 8 Dec. 2016, www.mentalhealthamerica.net/recognizing-warning-signs.

“Mental Health: Ethnic Minority Experiences.” Healthtalk.org Youthhealthtalk.org, Health Talk, 2016, www.healthtalk.org/peoples-experiences/mental-health/mental-health-ethnic-minority-experiences/views-about-causes-social-environmental-factors.

“Mental Illness: Learn the Definition, Tests and Statistics.” MedicineNet, Medicine Net, 2016, www.medicinenet.com/mental_illness/article.htm.

“NAMI.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Alliance on Mental Health, 2014, www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers.

“Read ‘Discovering the Brain’ at NAP.edu.” National Academies Press: OpenBook, The National Academics , 1992, www.nap.edu/read/1785/chapter/5.

Rutter, Michael. “How the Environment Affects Mental Health.” The British Journal of Psychiatry, The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1 Jan. 2005, bjp.rcpsych.org/content/186/1/4.

Schmidt, Charles W. “Environmental Connections: A Deeper Look into Mental Illness.” Environmental Health Perspectives, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Aug. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1940091/.

staff, Mayo clinic. “Mental Illness Causes.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Oct. 2015, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/basics/causes/con-20033813.

“The Importance of Mental Health.” The Importance of Mental Health | DPC Education Center, DCP Education Center, 2016, www.dpcedcenter.org/classroom/importance-mental-health.

“Types of Mental Health Problems.” Types of Mental Health Problems | Mind, the Mental Health Charity — Help for Mental Health Problems, Mind, 2013, www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/.

(US), National Institutes of Health. “Information about Mental Illness and the Brain.” NIH Curriculum Supplement Series [Internet]., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20369/.

“Why Laughter Is Good For Mental Health.” Laughter Online University, Laughter Universty, 25 Dec. 2016, www.laughteronlineuniversity.com/laughter-good-mental-health/.

writers, DiscoveryHealth.com. “The Brain and Mental Health.” The Brain and Mental Health | , HowStuffWorks, 10 Sept. 2008, health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/brain-and-mental-health.htm.

Young, Joel. “9 Lifestyle Factors That Can Affect Your Mental Health.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 2 Oct. 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-your-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201410/9-lifestyle-factors-can-affect-your-mental.