We can make good use of humor as a therapy to reduce stress. Thanks to him, the problems no longer seem so big and the people who could intimidate us become smaller. It can brighten up any night or brighten up any day of boredom. .
Although it is related to leisure and leisure time, science has shown that, in some situations, humor can be a complement to improve the results of surgery, an ingredient that makes medical intervention itself sometimes gain momentum.
- At the same time.
- The presence of humor in communication can generate or strengthen trust between the doctor and the patient.
The truth is that when we laugh we feel the following effects
The brain reward circuit is activated, so endorphins and dopamine, hormones related to well-being and happiness are released.
Levels of cortisol, stress hormone, decrease due to the action of dopamine and endorphins.
Muscles relax, especially those on the face
Increases the feeling of tranquility and security.
The feeling of pleasure and relaxation distracts us from problems and concerns.
Professor Heidi L. Fritz of Salisbury University has devoted much of her professional career to studying the relationship between humor and stress.
The results of their studies indicate that the more pronounced a person’s sense of humor is, the less stress they may feel.
While the most visible consequence of humor is laughter, there are many others. Humor as therapy should not be confused with lack of seriousness, or irony or euphoria.
Its real utility is to give us a different point of view: it acts as one of those mirrors that distort images, while indicating the possibility of adding changes to the filters we use to collect and process information.
It can be said that humor indicates happiness even when adversity surrounds us; for a moment, it is able to stop the flow of negative thoughts, which is often enough to break the vicious circle that feeds those thoughts.
Health professionals working in emergency services, police or firefighters face very complicated situations in their daily lives where stress spikes can be very high, causing their work to cause emotional imbalances.
The difficulty of these situations lies mainly in the involvement of other people and in the adversities they go through.
For example, a doctor who works in the Emergency Department must make important decisions in a short time and many times without having all the information about what is happening to the patient, running the risk of hurting him. one moment, for example, can cause paralysis or save your life.
In these cases, mood spice can help reduce stress levels once the decision is made and before the next moment of tension arrives.
The great usefulness of humor as therapy in these contexts can be divided into these facets:
Humor as a tool for one’s own health. This allows us to overcome the unpleasant, normalize the harshness of situations and avoid despair, helps to maintain control of the situation, mitigating its impact.
Humor as a companion relationship tool. Complicity in stressful situations among team members can play a particularly important role in their performance and cooperation, and the climate of trust created facilitates the expression of emotions at later times.
Humor as a tool for relationships with patients. For a person who is in a very stressful situation, and in front of whom he can do nothing, such as when we call an ambulance and await his arrival, humor can act as a “lifesaver”. Emotional.
It’s as important to use humor in situations where you can reduce tension as you can give up practicing it in situations where you can only increase it.
We are unique, as are the circumstances that surround us at all times, which requires constant observation and adaptation in the face of a very dynamic environment.
Thus, the use of humor as an element capable of creating all the effects described must be done intelligently, with a selection of moments based on empathy and respect, otherwise it can be quite counterproductive.
When in doubt, we can try to use it much more fluently and then respond to comments from others.
Humor, both inside and outside therapy, is a powerful ally when used intelligently. By the word “intelligence” we mean in a way adapted to the situation. Basically, we’re talking about a style of communication, work and life.