Using laughter/comedy on a daily basis to battle depression

[PhenoMenal]

I don't really know where to start this thread! and I know it'll sound a bit weird regardless so I've just picked one thing at random ... :smile:

Well, a couple days ago I got home from being away for a couple weeks due to being in a car crash and was feeling very down ... not depressed, just deflated and in a bit of shock over nearly being killed. I went onto icmag chat for the first time since the accident hoping a chat would cheer me up, and it was great to see everybody again (you know who you are! now stop eating that to****enturkey shit!!!), and not long after getting into the chat I was feeling a lot better again - the timing was good as it was Thanksgiving Day in the US so everybody else was in a happy turkey-pigout kinda mood :smile:

Then one of my little e-buddies there named diggity suggested i download a DRAMA series that he'd been watching and thoroughly enjoying ... I read about it on wikipedia and it has won a shitload of awards and Im sure its an awesome series, but when I realised it was a drama series I immediately became disinterested.

Then today I realised - I hadnt watched a drama series in several years, the only series ive been watching are comedies like Seinfeld, Trailer Park Boys and so on. And the movies I prefer watching the most - Comedy. Its as if my brain has decided that if I'm going to watch something it might as well make me feel happy!

As we all know LAUGHTER helps release endorphins which make us feel good - please allow me to provide a quick description courtesy of our good friend Wiki:

Endorphins are endogenous opioid biochemical compounds <snip> and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. In other words, they might work as "natural pain killers."

I personally suffer from a medical condition that affects me 24/7 and is known to cause depression as many other ailments also do, but I can't say I've ever suffered depression like many other people who get depression from this ailment do. Sure I have the occassional down moment where I feel sorry for myself, I guess that's just natural?, but it doesnt last long and often I wonder if the amount of comedy that I get in my daily life is having any influence on that ...

... it's not as easy to feel depressed after you've watched a TV show that left you in stitches :smile:

My medical condition is a physical condition not a mental one so that probably also has a lot to do with it in regards to my own self, but I can't help but wonder if people with mental-related depression would also benefit by being exposed to comedy on a daily basis.

I know this post sounds weird, but they say that laughter can sometimes be the best medicine, and laughter sure sounds like a healthier alternative to the drugs that people are prescribed to counter depression. Cheaper too.

Laughter alone will never be the single be-all-and-end-all when it comes to countering depression - anti-depression drugs will definately always have a place and we're lucky to have them ...

... but I can't help but wonder if some of the more milder cases of depression can be treated with comedy/laughter alone? Perhaps 30mins of comedy will have a similar effect as 30mgs of an anti-depression drug? :smile:

 

[diggity]

Hey man, there are some funny moments in THE WIRE

 

[GOT_BUD?]

3 words.

Bob and Tom. If I couldn't listen to these guys before work every morning, I doubt I'd make it through the day.

 

[OffroadFever]

yeah I'm definitely a big fan of comedies as well, especially stoner movies.. but i've found a few drama tv shows worth watching as well. that show Dexter is awesome, well the first season anyway..

 

[PhenoMenal]

but i've found a few drama tv shows worth watching as well

absolutely, but I just think for every hour of dramas you watch you should follow it up with an hour of comedy :smile:

 

[budvapor]

laughing is great. i also mostly watch comedy for the same reasons. but that in itself is not a solution.

the majority of depressed people, including myself still at times, are depressed because of our western lifestyle. our society has become so focused on material possessions that life is filled with meaningless junk and pursuits. a sense of meaning and purpose are necessary to feeling content--without it you are bound to be depressed.

ironically, one of humanity's great achievements, securing basic necessities of life for most in our society, is making us depressed. while we do not have to worry about whether we'll have enough to eat tomorrow, we still instinctively hoard material possessions as if life depended on it. and that is entirely natural: for 99.9% of the human story life did depend on it. natural selection made sure most of us have this drive. but now our pursuit of material possessions overtakes our lives. additionally, our brains are wired to compare, and so being bombarded by visuals of what we could have, we are virtually trapped in a never-ending cycle of 'improving' our lives with bigger houses, better cars, better entertainment, nicer clothes, fancier restaurants, etc. unfortunately, the implication is that all these meaningless pursuits need to be financed by jobs that don't bring meaning or pleasure. on the contrary, they are often unpleasant and a burden. the result: we're off balance; not enough time; not enough meaning; not enough joy; all for things that in actuality do not improve our lives.

few people will disagree. but understanding the concept is not enough. the difficult part is being able to discern between the unnecessary crap and the stuff that does make a difference. we are often not aware of assumptions we make regarding our expectation for our standard of living. we feel we need those things and don't even question it.

freeze your standard of living. downsize if you can. focus on developing positive and deep relationships. find a job you love to do even if it doesn't pay well by today's standards. you will be happier for it. not that it's easy to accomplish... but what better goal is there in life than to be happy?

in the long run we need a culture shift which will likely take several generations. but hopefully one day human beings will figure this one out and people will be happier.

i've read a bit on the topic. but i have to give credit to one book in particular: Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar. a must read! http://www.amazon.com/Happier-Learn-Secrets-Lasting-Fulfillment/dp/0071492399/

 

[PhenoMenal]

laughing is great. i also mostly watch comedy for the same reasons. but that in itself is not a solution.

I agree. I also appreciate that depression is a real symptom that can be caused by many mental issues that laughter alone probably has no hope of beating. But I think that laughter can be an important PART of the solution, yet it doesn't seem that way - doctors are prescribing drugs, but not laughter.

 

[C21H30O2]

depression is funny in that you can be smiling on the outside and crying on the inside ( thats sometimes what makes you feel so shitty) it reminds me of an African proverb, "The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?"

 

[I.M. Boggled]

...Laughter Activates the Immune System...

...Laughter Activates the Immune System...

"There ain’t much fun in medicine, but there’s a heck of a lot of medicine in fun."
-Josh Billings-

“ Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses.
He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed.
The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services.
He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?".
The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says
"OK, now what?"

To date ... published studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies.

Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.

here is a summary of how humor contributes to physical health.

Muscle Relaxation
- Belly laugh results in muscle relaxation.
While you laugh, the muscles that do not participate in the belly laugh, relax.
After you finish laughing those muscles involved in the laughter start to relax. So, the action takes place in two stages.

Reduction of Stress Hormones
- Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response.
These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.

Immune System Enhancement
- Clinical studies have shown that humor strengthens the immune system.

Pain Reduction
- Humor allows a person to "forget" about pains such as aches, arthritis, etc.

Cardiac Exercise
- A belly laugh is equivalent to "an internal jogging."
Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercises.

Blood Pressure
- Women seem to benefit more than men in preventing hypertension.

Respiration
- Frequent belly laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect - similar to deep breathing.
Especially beneficial for patient's who are suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.

Above quote excerpted from an older thread here titled:
Positive Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter (Humor Therapy)
For an instant chuckle or two scroll down to post 3 to the
"100 FUNNIEST JOKES OF ALL TIME"
and to post 4 for
The American Film Institute's List of the Top 100 Funniest Films
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=16773

 

[Guest]

I experienced depression as a result of pegalated interferon therapy for Hep. C that lasted the better part of a year.Not the best time to join OG and make friends haha.I know there are varying degrees of depression but what I experienced couldn't be eased with jocularity.Ahh jocularity jocularity jocularity(Father Patrick Mulcahee).My doctor told me it was no different than severe depression that occurs naturally and since then I've had the utmost apathy and respect for people suffering from true depression.Life can be hard enough without your brain constantly tripping you out thats for sure.I took zoloft and it was the only thing that got me through 48 weeks of that shit,since then I have a new respect for often put down antidepressents too.If you brain needs re-wiring Seinfeld or even Dave Chapelles famous Diarrea opera can't snap you out of it.The biggest problem is in diagnosing clinical depression as opposed to a severe case of da blues.

 

[FarmerJoe]

I just smoke weed and laugh, all the stress seems to float away.

I can still be serious, but I can never take life too serious.

 

[Guest]

Thats because your brain is wired with #12 AWG branch circuits protected by 20A breakers with sufficient feeder capacity..If it suddenly became wired with #14 AWG branch circuits protetced by 30A breakers with insufficient feeder capacity you'd want a master electrician,Mr. Zoloft.Being an electrician and experiencing that shit made me acutely aware just how electrical our brains and responses are.

 

[PhenoMenal]

Just on a related matter there was something that really rocked myself and most people in Australia just a few weeks ago in regards to depression ... a prominent, beautiful and highly-respected news reader took her own life by jumping off a cliff. Apparently she had bi-polar disorder and had recently changed medication for it, but she fought her battle with depression in private which is why nobody saw it coming.

She had everything going for her - she was just a month or two away from marrying her long-time boyfriend, she had a great career, was well respected by all her friends peers and family, she was beautiful in every sense of the word, and in the words of one of the videos im linking to here "had everything to live for" ..... one can't help but wonder how somebody with all that could take their own life??? I think that just shows how real and serious depression is.

She was just 29.

Here is one of the news reports on the night of her death:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeTPUsgkS3k (1:52)

Charmaine's final farewell ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY0R0jjfBrM (5:31)

 

[Stoner4Life]

How about a joke then?

How about a joke then?

So my good friend Dave is feeling worse by the day & finally goes in to see his doctor. The next week his doctor calls and tells him he has only 6 months to live, the cancer found was too far along for treatments to be effective.
Dave is devastated & promises the doc that he'll stop smoking and drinking, but the docotr tells him "sorry six months is all you have." Dave promises to exercise, lose weight, eat healthy... but again the doctor repeats, "Dave you only have six months."
There's a silence on the phone for a while when the doctor does tell Dave this, "If I were you I'd go to Iowa and marry and big old lonely farm girl." "How will that help me to live longer doc?" Asked Dave, "It won't" replied the doctor, "But it'll be the longest six months of your life!"

 

[PhenoMenal]

:smile:
Can always do with a joke. The lamest ones are my personal faves

Knock knock?
> .. Who's there?
Cargo!
> .. Cargo who?
Car go VROOOM! VROOOM!


But if I can just reclarify my initial point .... laughter on its own will probably never beat clinical depression and there will always be a need for anti-depression medication in some cases, but I think laughter could be an integral part of daily 'medication', and especially in milder cases where people are perhaps just feeling sorry for themselves I think it could play a fairly significant role in helping lift and maintain somebodys spirits WITHOUT the use of anti-depression drugs. I honestly believe that the amount of comedy I expose myself to each day (whether it's watching a comedy on TV or joking around on chat just as two examples) helps keep me happy.

Here's a simple test - consider how you feel right now at this very moment, then go and watch one of your favourite comedies, even if it's just a 25 minute episode of whatever, and then compare that to how you feel afterwards. :smile:
Plus, see how long it lasts - endorphins are an opiate-related drug remember!