Jan 19, 2006 - 12:39:00 PM, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
"We would suggest getting humour from a variety of sources, including bringing funny pictures of family members into the office, getting together with friends for a true happy hour on a regular basis and of course watching a sitcom or comedy."
By IANS, [RxPG] Watching funny movies could be beneficial for your health but watching tearjerkers could have just the opposite effect, says a new a study that reinforces the old proverb that laughter remains the best medicine.
Professor Michael Miller and colleagues at the Centre for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland tested the proverb by showing volunteers clips from both sad and funny films. They found that laughter may be just as important as exercise.
The 'feel-good' effect from a comedy, they found, lasted at least 45 minutes, reported the online edition of Daily Mail.
They studied 20 healthy young adults who watched 15-30 minute segments of sad and humourous films, a minimum of 48 hours apart.
The researchers used ultrasound scanning to measure the performance of the brachial artery - which runs from the shoulder to the elbow, and is a good indicator of blood flow around the body.
Blood flow was reduced in 14 volunteers after watching distressing movie clips. But it was increased in 19 after the funny films.
The difference between the two responses was beyond 50 percent, according to the study published Wednesday in the medical journal Heart.
Miller advised a generous dose of laughter every day for the best result. "We recommend at least one funny film daily, though we would suggest watching it while on a treadmill," he said.
"We would suggest getting humour from a variety of sources, including bringing funny pictures of family members into the office, getting together with friends for a true happy hour on a regular basis and of course watching a sitcom or comedy."
He said laughter would not replace drugs but it should have its own place in the medicine chest. But those contemplating giving up the gym to watch funny DVDs should think again.
Exercise leads to much greater increases in actual blood flow, perhaps a two-to-three fold increase compared to a 20-30 percent increase with laughter, the researchers said.
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