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Dr. Berk was the lead researcher on a team that discovered these findings. The other researchers were Stanley A. Tan, MD, PhD, of Oakcrest Health Research Institute, and Dottie Berk, RN, patient care coordinator of pain management, Loma Linda University Health Care.
“Our findings lead us to believe that by seeking out positive lifestyle experiences that make us laugh, we can do a lot with our psychophysiology to help us stay well,” says Dr. Berk.
In an earlier study, Dr. Berk, Dr. Tan, and James Westengard, MT(ASCP), found that the anticipation of mirthful laughter had surprising and significant effects. Two hormones—beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals that helps elevate positive mood states) and human growth hormone (HGH, which helps with immunity)—increased by 27 and 87 percent respectively when volunteers anticipated watching a humorous video. There was no such increase among the control group, who did not anticipate watching the humorous film.
Having found that the anticipation of a happy laughter event increased certain beneficial chemicals/hormones, they proposed that the anticipation of a laughter event might reduce stress hormones. To test their hypothesis, they studied 16 healthy fasting male volunteers for cortisol and catecholamine level changes. The participants were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group (those anticipating a humorous event).
Using a similar protocol as in the earlier study, the current research found that the same anticipation of laughter reduced cortisol by 39 percent, epinephrine by 70 percent, and dopac by 38 percent.
Blood was drawn from both groups prior to the event (anticipation), four times during the event, and three times after the event (residual effect). Analysis showed that the blood levels in the anticipatory phase decreased for the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine, and dopac in the experimental group. Trend analysis showed a progressive pattern of the decrease for the three hormones through the event and afterwards.
As a result, the researchers suggest that anticipating positive events can decrease stress hormones that can be detrimental when chronically released. These findings have implications for understanding the modalities that can benefit stress reduction, not only in health and wellness programs, but also in everyday life. After all, Dr. Berk points out, Proverbs 17:22 states that “A merry heart does good like a medicine….”
The research is titled “Cortisol and Catecholamine Stress Hormone Decrease Is Associated With The Behavior Of Perceptual Anticipation Of Mirthful Laughter.”
My comment:
Nice research. It validates the happiness and inner strengths model I first described about 1990, which uses a temporal approach to the anatomy of positive experience. The basic theory is that positive experiences are the building blocks of our inner strengths and capacity for happiness, capacity to face adversity, to develop self esteem, to build loving relationships, etc.
This study would support the second component in my model--
II} Plan, schedule, research, anticipate PEs-- not just vacations or weekend evenings-- but throughout each day of the week. Study your own behavior patterns, your inner and outer resources and your environment to build a PE knowledge base that helps you zoom in on PE opportunities-- planned or unexpected-- and schedule challenges, fun, pleasure, and good deeds.
Here's an excerpt from my book on Positive Experiences and Good Feelings which details this aspect in greater depth. This was written about 1990, with minor updates since then. In light of this study, I'll be fleshing ou the anticipation part of this. Over the years, teaching people to expect positive experience (PE) and be ready to 'jump into them" when they pop up, as unplanned for surprises, has been a lot of fun, because when I encounter them myself, I alway think of the advice. I think some people are much better at being ready to have PEs than others. Of course, that's what my Anatomy of PEs is all about-- helping people to build their skills at all aspects of PEs before, during and after.
I should add that I used to focus more attention on the "good feelings" part of this model, but Martin Seligman pointed out, quite correctly, that a good number of people don't have those good feelings associated with PEs. And reflecting back on the research, I agree. This was an example of my personal bias, since I DO have the good feelings. Researcher Professor Avrom Goldstein did a study which determined that some subjects-- only about half, reported felling "thrills" or chills up the back of the neck, in response to music, inspiring stories, sex, perfume, touching certain things.... and he determined, using a double blind study, that endorphins-- endogenous opioids-- mediated the thrill experience. When he administered Naloxone, a drug that inhibits opioid responses, the thrills that had previously, reliably been produced in subjects listening to rousing music, were no longer produced.
Despite Dr. Seligman's disputation on my statement that "PEs and the positive feeling they produce are the basic building blocks of happiness, the capacity for happiness, inner strengths and the ability to face adversity, develop loving relationships, etc." I still believe that for those people who do have positive feeling associated with PEs, the statement is true.
