"HUMOR IS THE SAVING THING"

“HUMOR IS THE SAVING THING”

WITH SHELLEY MICKLE

Did you know that journalist Norman Cousins used research funds donated by Joan Kroc to scientifically measure the effect of laughter on the body. He points out that medical students are trained to treat disease but not about the ability of the body to repair itself. I am studying Norman Cousin’s book HEAD FIRST, the Biology of Hope, to talk about my humorous memoir ITCHING TO LOVE to be released March 11. Here’s one of the findings reported in Cousin’s book that I want you to know:

The brain can produce some 3 dozen secretions that can combine to meet the body’s needs for pain control much like a natural source of morphine. Endorphins and enkephalins can also enhance the immune system to fight off viruses. I’m not saying you can laugh your way out of cancer, Covid or some other serious condition, but clearly, laughing helps. Furthermore, 20 seconds of laughing is equal to the exercise of 3 minutes of rowing a boat which is good for our waistlines.

I’m on a mission to get us back to laughing--often and a lot. Mark Twain released his short story, “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” during the last days of the Civil War. When citizens read it in the newspapers, they took it as a sign that it was all right to begin laughing together again. Twain always said, “Humor is the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield; all our irritations and resentments fly away.

Let’s fly away together. I’ll provide more posts to rev up your enkephalins. Stay tuned, I’ve got a great diet plan that I want to share. www.shelleymickle.com