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Health Sci 1001A > Happiness, Laughter and Health > Flashcards

Happiness, Laughter and Health Flashcards

1
Q

what are the benefits of happiness?

A

increased happiness could lead to:

  • longer life (could be a difference of 9 years)
  • health
  • resilience
  • increased performance
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2
Q

what is the trend of happiness over time? associated with the standard of living

A

the standard of living has increased in industrialized countries yet happiness has increased very little

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3
Q

The pursuit of happiness - what does it have to do in terms of making decisions?

A
  • many decisions are rooted in the desire to become happy
  • the decisions we make fail to increase our happiness
  • Americans have spent a lot of money on motivational speakers, and self-help books
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4
Q

what does Dr. Daniel Gilbert blame for the main causes of our unhappiness? (3)

A
  1. CULTURE
    - live in a society where we believe that we need to constantly buy bigger, better and newer things
    - stuff does not buy happiness
    - money only brings joy to people who are lacking in the basic necessities
  2. GENES
    - hardwire us to reproduce
    - children can have a negative impact on a parent’s happiness IN THE MOMENT
    - this doesn’t mean that moments of joy and happiness do not exist
  3. IMAGINATION
    - when we envision a future we see either lasting gloom or happily-ever-after
    - however, unhappiness and joy do not last as long as we expect it to
    ie. winning the lottery or becoming disabled
    - arrival fallacy
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5
Q

what makes us happy (5)?

A
  1. AGE
    - as age increases so does the level of happiness (maybe bc of life experience, developing coping skills)
  2. MARITAL STATUS
    - married people tend to be happier than single people
    - generalization and correlation
    - quality of a relationship is important
  3. EDUCATION
    - college/uni grads are happier than those without degrees
  4. RELIGION
    - people who attend to religious services weekly tend to be happier than those who don’t
    - unconditional support
  5. HEALTH
    - correlation
    - healthier people are happier
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6
Q

who are the happiest group of individuals?

A

men 65 and older

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7
Q

who are the most unhappy group of individuals?

A

men 18-29

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8
Q

Happiness - nature vs. nurture: what did the study involve and what was the outcome - Dr. Seligman

A
  • studied identical twins who were separated at birth
  • outcome: it is possible to lift or biological set range of happiness, at least to some extent, if we work at it
    (born with a range of happiness)
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9
Q

Happiness around the world - what is the similarities in all cultures?

A
  • people express fundamental; emotions in similar ways (anger, fear, jealousy, happiness)
  • in all cultures: happiness depends on close family and other human relationships
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10
Q

Why was the happiness around the world study conducted?

A

developed due to increased political interest in using measures of happiness as a national indicator along with measures of wealth

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11
Q

what were the strongest determinants of national happiness & what was a factor in the study?

A

strongest determinants of national happiness:
1. health levels
2. Prosperity
3. access to basic education
Factor: population size - smaller countries scored better while largest population scored worse

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12
Q

what is some happiness advice from the experts?

A
  • find small things we can do everyday to bring us joy
  • family/friends are crucial
  • find meaning in life (religion, philosophy, spirituality)
  • set goals
  • to predict how happy something will make you talk to others
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13
Q

What are the 2 types of smiles, according to Dr. Seligman? and what it it an indicator of?

A
  1. Duchenne Smile
    - genuine
    - hard to fake
    - forehead wrinkle, corners of the mouth turn up
  2. Pan American Smile
    - inauthentic
    - expression of courtesy and politeness rather than inner joy

an indicator of: overall level of happiness

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14
Q

what is the health benefit of smiling?

A
  • more joy in our smiles might positively influence health and happiness
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15
Q

what is health benefits a sense of humour associated with?

A
  • greater self-reported physical health
  • increased self-esteem
  • a decrease in psychological symptoms related to negative life events
  • increased ability to relax
  • decreased feeling of loneliness, depression
    and stress
  • greater QOL
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16
Q

What are the basics of laughter - when is it more likely to occur? who is more likely to laugh, speaker or the listener? how much laughter does is in response to a formal effort at humour?

A
  • more likely to occur in social settings (30x more likely to occur)
  • speaker produces up to 46% more laughter than listeners
  • less than 20% of laughter in response to formal effort
17
Q

what are the 2 distinct types of laughs?

A
  1. Duchenne Laughter
    - genuine, spontaneous
    - emotionally valenced (humour driven)
    - often happens bc of incongruity & unexpectedness
    - stimulated by the subcortical/brainstem region
  2. Non-Duchenne Laughter
    - Inauthentic, self-generated
    - emotionless (conversational)
    - expression of courtesy and politeness
    - stimulated by the prefrontal/premotor/motor areas
18
Q

Laughter - Biological function

A
  • universal human behaviour found in all cultures
  • one of the first vocalizations emitted by infants (2-6m)
  • humans are genetically predisposed to develop and produce this ability (even if they are deaf and blind) - derived from primate play signals
19
Q

is there a variation when it comes to laughter in the world?

A
  • laughter-evoking context and how laughter is interpreted is influenced by cultural norms and learning
  • cultural variations in subject matter, context, frequency and intensity
20
Q

Strategic (Non-Duchenne laughter)

A
  • speaker laughter is used to smooth interactions and promote +ve feelings
  • laughter among strangers is used to avoid misunderstanding and facilitate friendships
  • used to “punctuate statements, not interrupt them
21
Q

when is nervous laughter expressed?

A

in response to stress, signals anxiety

22
Q

when is “laugh-speak” utilized?

A

influence attitudes and behaviours of others

23
Q

what are the benefits of laughter?(3)

A
  • health/physical
  • psychological
  • social
24
Q

Keltner & Harker experiment 2006 - what was it and what were their findings?

A
  • they sorted through 141 high school yearbooks and sorted out the Duchenne smile from the Pan American smiles
  • they followed up at ages 27, 43 and 52
  • found that those with the Duchenne smile were more likely to be/stay married and more likely to experience an increased well being
    (consistent over 30 years)
25
Q

what are the physiological effects of laughter?

A
  • increased endorphins in brain/body
  • improved immune function
  • the decrease in pain
  • the decrease in stress hormones, BP, muscle tension and inflammation
26
Q

Miller (2000) experiment - what was it and what were the findings?

A
  • compared humour responses of 300 people
  • people with HD were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to those without
  • those with HD responded less humourlessly to everyday situations and displayed increased anger/hostility
27
Q

what are some psychological effects of laughter?

A
  • increased mood
  • positive affect
  • the decrease in negative responses to stressful events (coping/resilience)
    the decrease in anxiety
  • enhanced communication and creativity
28
Q

what are the social effects of laughter? what is the purpose of laughter? what about group sizes? and what does it improve?

A
  • purpose of laughter: make & strengthen human connections
  • Heard Duchenne laughter stimulates others to laugh (contagious)
  • larger group size = increased laughter response to funny shit
  • improves group cohesion & cooperation, and promotes the integration of new individuals
29
Q

what is the purpose of conversational laughter? which individuals use this type of laughter more, and why?

A
  • “social lubricant “: lighten mood, make listeners more receptive, and increase the “in-group” feeling
  • Dominant individuals use this type of laughter more than subordinates - used to control the emotional climate
30
Q

how much laughter is recommended? On average, how much do children laugh compared to adults?

A
  • 30min/day to recieve all the benefits
    children: 250-500x/day
    adults: 15-50x/day

Health Sci 1001A (12 decks)

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