7 remarkable benefits of laughing more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Learn the benefits of laughter for your mental and physical well-being.

The magic of nutriwand

Reading Time: < 1 minute Presenting…Nutriwand, the magical wand that turns your junk food into nutritious snacks!

Apps + podcasts we love: Invisibilia

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Zuriel RasmussenZuriel R., second-year graduate student, Portland State University, Oregon 

 

Reviewed episodes

  • “How to Become Batman” (January 22, 2015)
  • “The New Norm” (June 17, 2016) 

“Invisibilia explores how the almost imperceptible differences in the way we think or behave can have huge impacts on our lives. In these two episodes, the hosts, Lulu Miller, Hanna Rosin, and Alix Spiegel, tell lively, well-researched stories about the power of expectations and social norms.” 

Useful?
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Useful and fascinating! You learn all about how small changes in behavior can make a big difference in outcomes. In “How to Become Batman,” a blind man explains how he can ride a bike by using simple clicking noises. We could all use this kind of ingenuity!

Fun?
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The wit and laughter of the hosts weaves seamlessly with their thoughtful and intelligent questions. The hosts pose intriguing questions right at the beginning of each podcast—questions like: “Can a rat’s behavior change based on the researcher’s expectations alone?” or “Why was it so hard to open a McDonald’s in Russia?” It was difficult to stop listening; I look forward to checking out more of their episodes!

Would you recommend this to someone?

I would recommend this podcast to anyone interested in psychology, behavior, or popular science. It encourages listeners to be more aware of subtle, simple things, like smiling or crying—things that have the potential to change (or save) your life.

Where to find it

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia

4 reasons to prioritize laughter

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What is humor? Our perception of the world Sudden update in how we see things Shot of dopamine (A neurotransmitter linked with reward) Pleasure Makes you happy Laugh to be resilient Helps us through difficult situations Watching comedy vs. meditation or calm music 3x as effective for destressing Makes you healthy Laugh for 15 minutes a day Be around others who are laughing Less need for pain medication 40% reduced risk of heart attack or stroke Improves work Increases trust Helps you solve problems Increases the quality & quantity of communications Helps you be more creative Improves relationships Laughing together ÂŪ Longer, happier relationships Less conflict Makes you more attractive

[survey_plugin] Article sources

This infographic is adapted from a design by Satoru Hirose, which is in turn based on a blog post by Eric Barker at Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

Barker, E. (2016). This is the fun way to easily improve your life, backed by research. Barking Up The Wrong Tree. Retrieved from https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2016/07/improve-your-life/

Hirose, S. (2016, July 28). Sketchnote #18: Power of humor. SaturoHirose.com. Retrieved from https://sketchnote.satoruhirose.com/2016/07/power-of-humor/