Humor can reduce health problems in a stressful life

Recent research has shown that there is a connection between humor and the General State of health. But the health-protective effect of a good dose of daily sense of humour shows up only when one is exposed to a high level of stress in their daily lives.

The American researcher got 130 men and women to fill out 3 questionnaires: One relating to their general State of health, regarding their level of stress in the last year or so and finally a questionnaire on their own sense of humour in everyday life.

For those subjects who were not exposed to much stress, there was no correlation between humor and health, but, by the way,the State of health in this ustressede group as a whole was very well.

For the subjects, who for some time had been exposed to one or more severe stress situations in daily life, it showd hat these people on average had worse health, which once again confirms that stress can effect health.

It turned out, secondly, that this correlation between stress and health in astonishing degree depended on person's sense of humour! The subjects, who had scored low on the test for a sense of humour, showed a large increase in the number of health problems by increasing levels of stress. The persons, who had scored in the middle range for a sense of humour, had a somewhat smaller increase in the number of health problems the people with high level of stress. And most surprising: The subjects, who had scored highest on the test for a sense of humour, showed a little number of health problems even under high levels of daily stress load.

The conclusion is therefore not simply humor will make you healthier, but rather, that a sense of humour can prevent high degrees of stress and strain in life goes beyond health.