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Humor in the Time of COVID-19
By Michele Wojciechowski
Humor is healthy for you; that's why we need it now. “It's definitely a coping mechanism and an important part of both mental and physical health," says Paula Poundstone, comedian and host of the podcast "Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone" and panelist on NPR’s “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” Poundstone is right that laughter helps our mental health a great deal — especially during rough times. "The reality is that people need humor all the time. Humor, and the laughter it inspires, is our built-in mechanism for managing stress. It provides relief when times are tough, improves our mood and helps the mind and body calm down," says psychologist and author Brian King. But the act of laughing itself actually changes what's happening inside us. "The primary benefit we receive from laughing is lower levels of stress hormones. When we are stressed, our bodies start cranking out a hormone called cortisol and most of our physiological reaction to stress is brought about by this hormone,” King explains. "Humor, laughter in particular, significantly reduces the presence of cortisol and reduces the physical effects of stress.” With everything she does professionally now virtual, Poundstone says the use of technology has brought its own kind of humor. "We're doing it from our homes. Sometimes we'll record, and it'll turn out that one of us didn't record right. It's stressful, it's aggravating, and I'm not a technical person. There are times that my partners and I are on a conference call and get laughing so hard about this." she says. "And there's such a relief there. I probably have laughed until I've cried more in the last six months than in the rest of my life."
Read the full story: Humor in the Time of COVID-19 on NextAvenue.org
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