Epilepsy Talk

Laughter IS the best medicine! | October 8, 2023

And, believe it or not, it’s good for your health.

Laughter can even help your EEG results!

For example, scientists traced the brainwave activity of people responding to funny material.

They were hooked up to an EEG and their brain activity was measured when they laughed.

In each case, the brain produced a regular electrical pattern.

Less than a half-second after exposure to something funny, an electrical wave moved through the cerebral cortex.

If the wave takes a negative charge, laughter results. If it maintains a positive charge, no response is given at all.

Next, the left hemisphere analyzes the words and structures of the joke.

The right hemisphere “gets” the joke. The visual sensory area of the occipital lobe creates images.

The limbic (emotional) system makes you happier and the motor sections make you smile or laugh.

Also, laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

It also dissolves negative emotions.

You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.

So, how about a laugh or two? Tell us your favorite funny movie, or a good joke!

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Resources:

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-med

https://caregiver.com/articles/laughter-is-the-best-medicine/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2017/06/05/six-science-based-reasons-why-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/?sh=19df9c517f04

Posted in Epilepsy, Tips
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7 Comments »

  1. Veronique Brito's avatar

    love it! amazing how positive energy helps to heal us! guess we should all have clips of favorite funny movies from youtube to watch all of the time! thanks for the info

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Veronique Brito — October 8, 2023 @ 2:59 PM

    Reply
  2. StopYourSericulture's avatar

    No idea if this will match your sense of humor, but this duo actually has quite a bit of good stuff to check out….

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by StopYourSericulture — October 8, 2023 @ 5:20 PM

    Reply
  3. mymail9901ac3001's avatar

    Seems to help to laugh when there are those times that you can laugh. I’m now 1 month from 2 years being seizure free. 1 day at a time as I have been doing since 11-8-21, knowing that when I started this XCOPRI on 11-15-21 1 week before thanksgiving day when this all started in 1960. I only laugh now when I get judged the same way from people who still judges how they do as if I can not think straight or be as smart as they believe they are. Time & years will tell, or maybe after a few blinks of the eye, then it’s all over.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by mymail9901ac3001 — October 8, 2023 @ 7:55 PM

    Reply
    • Phylis Feiner Johnson's avatar

      Congratulations to you. I’ve heard great things about Xcopri.

      JC Davis in our group has had terrific results after 50+ years of seizures.

      But what matters most is your attitude, which seems a large part of your success!

      Like

      Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — October 8, 2023 @ 8:52 PM

      Reply
  4. Margie Harrop's avatar

    Fantastic way to cope with our seizures. Kids I sat for saw me say pick a flower then bite it rather than sniffing it. Knew was having small seizure but I’d be fine soon. We laughed bout crazy things then & now bout 40 year later. Puzzled by how some adults reacted. Relax let it pass no harm done by partials at all.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Margie Harrop — October 9, 2023 @ 1:43 PM

    Reply
    • Weed Nation's avatar

      I have epilepsy and have heard of laughing seizures. I think I started having them years ago in conference room. 😳 I recognize it now.

      Love the post .

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by Weed Nation — October 11, 2023 @ 6:52 AM

      Reply
      • Phylis Feiner Johnson's avatar

        Believe it or not, these are called Gelastic Seizures

        These seizures are both unpredictable and unprovoked by the person’s surroundings.

        They are abrupt in onset and quickly over.

        Basically, they are characterized by brief outbursts of emotion, usually in the form of a laugh or a cry.

        They may be accompanied by forced eye movements, chewing or grinding the teeth, tonic posturing, and clonic jerking.

        You may appear confused and/or dazed during and after an episode.

        Gelastic seizures usually last 5 to 60 seconds and you may remember them clearly or may be completely unaware of what occurred.

        Like

        Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — October 11, 2023 @ 10:57 AM


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    About the author

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    I've been a professional copywriter for over 35 years. I also had epilepsy for decades. My mission is advocacy; to increase education, awareness and funding for epilepsy research. Together, we can make a huge difference. If not changing the world, at least helping each other, with wisdom, compassion and sharing.

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