Sunday, April 22, 2007

Psychology of laughter


What is laughter? Laughter is a form of outward expression of amusement, pleasure, mirth and at times, other emotions. It may ensue (as a physiological reaction) from jokes, tickling and other stimuli. Inhaling nitrous oxide can also induce laughter; other drugs, such as cannabis, can also induce episodes of strong laughter. Strong laughter can sometimes bring an onset of tears or even moderate muscular pain as a physical response to the act.



Laughter is a part of human behavior regulated by the brain. It helps humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and provides an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions.
Modern neurophysiology states that laughter is linked with the activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which produces endorphins after a rewarding activity: after you have a good meal, after you have sexual intercourse and after you understand a joke.

It has been shown that laughing helps protect the heart. Doctors say that with deep, heartfelt laughter, it appears that serum cortisol, which is a hormone that is secreted when we’re under stress, is decreased. So when you’re having a stress reaction, if you laugh, apparently the cortisol that has been released during the stress reaction is reduced.

Laughter can help to reach physical fitness. It has been estimated by scientists that laughing 100 times equals the same physical exertion as a 10 minute workout on a rowing machine or 15 minutes on a stationary exercise bike. Laughing works out the diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles.

In conclusion, laughter is not just emotional expression, but also free drug from diseases too.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Conflict of psychology

First of all, conflict is a state of opposition, disagreement or incompatibility between two or more people or groups of people, which is sometimes characterized by physical violence. Military conflict between states may constitute war.
A clash of interests, values, actions or directions often sparks a conflict. Conflicts refer to the existence of that clash. Psychologically, a conflict exists when the reduction of one motivating stimulus involves an increase in another, so that a new adjustment is demanded. The word is applicable from the instant that the clash occurs. Even when we say that there is a potential conflict we are implying that there is already a conflict of direction even though a clash may not yet have occurred. There are a lot of types of conflicts : intrapersonal conflict, interpersonal conflict, emotional conflict, group conflict, organizational conflict,community conflict, intra-state conflict, international conflict, environmental resources conflict, intersocietal conflict, intra-societal conflict, ideological conflict, diplomatic conflict, economic conflict, military conflict and religious-based conflict.
Emotional conflicts are related to psychology. So, what is emotional conflict? It is the presence in the subconscious of different and opposing emotions relating to a situation that has recently taken place or is in the process of being unfolded, accompanied at times by a physical discomfort and in particular by tension headaches. Situations which cause emotional conflicts can be every day occurrences which might seem at the time unimportant. These inner emotional conflicts can sometimes result in physical discomfort or pain, often in the form of tension headaches, the duration of which can range from a few minutes to days and in some cases even months, but would normally be a few hours. These tension headaches can be episodic or chronic, with episodic normally occurring less than 15 days a month, and chronic occurring 15 day or more a month and sometimes stretching over a few months. The pain associated with Tension headaches is normally mild to moderate, but can be severe.