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This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations. March 22, 2005 Healthy Laughter? by NEIL STONEHAM INTRODUCTION

It is often said that “laughter is the best medicine”. But now scientists are finding that there may be a medical truth to this saying. So in this week’s lesson, we are going to look at an article that describes how doctors have been looking for evidence that laughing can be healthy. As yet, there is no conclusive proof that laughing has positive effects on your health. Even so, many doctors believe that the act of laughter can be a healthy activity, particularly as regards helping your blood pressure. Despite the medical topic, the article is written in such a way as to be understandable to the general reader, which is why we can publish it in the Bangkok Post.      Because of this, readers can make up their own mind about whether or not they believe that there is any substance in the claims – i.e. if they think that there is a probable link between laughter and health. Some people will agree, others will need more evidence and some might think that there is nothing in it at all. First, read the article using the vocabulary printed underneath to help you if needed. Then, see if you can identify the sentences that present “facts” – in other words, those things that cannot be argued against. These can also be called “objective” points. Once you have done this, highlight in a different colour those sentences that are “subjective” – that is to say that they may or may not be true depending on your opinion. Can you notice the difference between subjective sentences and objective ones? Look specifically for linking verbs like “seem” or adjectives like “possible”. You should see that they don’t appear in the objective sentences. Thinking about what is fact and what is subjective helps us to form an opinion about a piece of information. Of course, it is unlikely that we’ll spend time highlighting the different sentences in articles when deciding our opinion but it can be a useful exercise if you are an English language learner. To see how readers respond to some of the articles published in the Bangkok Post, take a look at our “Postbag” column towards the end of the front section. You’ll see that people can have varying opinions and often question things contained in the articles themselves.

OUR STORIES FROM THE BANGKOK POST Laughing matters ROXANNE KHAMSI Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. It might give your health a boost as well. Does laughing make your heart healthier? It may sound funny, but doctors now say they have serious evidence to support the idea. A new study shows that enjoying a joke or two can improve the function of blood vessels. Medical experts have warned about the effects of stress on cardiovascular health, and science backs up their concerns: When faced with a difficult situation, the body releases hormones that elevate blood pressure. These hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline, produce this effect by causing blood vessels to constrict. Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to a stroke or a heart attack. Doctors often recommend that people with this condition take more time to relax during their workday and incorporate stress-busting physical activity into their life. But less is known about psychosocial behaviours that can benefit the body’s cardiovascular system. A study published in 2000 provided preliminary evidence that laughter can help the heart, says Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In that study, he and his colleagues interviewed people who had either suffered heart attacks or undergone procedures to clear out clogged arteries. They found that these patients reported laughing less than those who did not have heart disease. Miller has always been interested in laughter. As a child he kept a book of jokes, and his first cousin works as a stand-up comedian. So after the 2000 study connected amusement with good heart health, he decided to take a closer look at the possible relationship. He and his colleagues decided to take a more direct approach this time around. Instead of questionnaires, they used an ultrasonic device to measure the diameter of the brachial artery, a main blood vessel that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. The researchers asked 10 women and 10 men to watch 15-minute movie scenes that contained either nerve-racking or comical material. For the stressful scene, the team used the opening segment of Saving Private Ryan, which portrays a dramatic battle during the Second World War. The funny segment came from either of two slapstick comedies: Kingpin or There's Something About Mary. For good cardiovascular health, blood vessels should readily expand after being constricted. So before and after showing the movie scenes, the scientists applied pressure to each volunteer’s brachial artery and tested how quickly it bounced back to its normal shape. In 19 of the 20 subjects, the comedy seemed to have a beneficial effect. Overall, the blood vessel dilated 22 percent faster than normal after laughter, and 35 percent more slowly than normal following a stressful scene. Although the negative effect of stress was anticipated, laughter produced a bigger positive impact than expected. “We thought that laughter would be pretty much neutral, but it actually produced a pronounced effect,” says Miller, who says he now advises his patients to seek out a hearty laugh from time to time. He and his fellow scientists cannot explain why laughter improves blood-vessel tone. It might have something to do with the release of endorphins, the same hormones that produce a “high” after exercise. Studies have revealed that endorphins help to repair blood vessels. Another possibility is that laughter releases nitric oxide, a gas that relaxes part of the blood vessel wall known as the endothelium. But the causes require further investigation. “Nitric oxide is released very locally in the endothelium. It would be fairly unusual for the endothelium to be globally stimulated by nitric oxide,” says Ian Megson, an expert on blood vessels at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Until this mystery is solved, Miller sees no problem in recommending laughter as medicine. “There's no downside to laughing,” he says. _________________________________ NEWS(AT)NATURE.COM   cardiovascular related to the heart hormone a chemical substance produced in the body that encourages growth or influences how the cells and tissues function stroke a sudden serious illness when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or is blocked, which can cause death or the loss of the ability to move or to speak clearly psychosocial mixture of something of a psychological and social nature   preliminary happening before a more important action or event procedure medical operation ultrasonic higher than human beings can hear nerve-racking making you feel very nervous and worried slapstick the type of humour that is based on simple actions constrict to become tighter or narrower beneficial having a helpful or useful effect neutral having no real effect globally stimulated to make something happen all over (the body) downside the disadvantages or less positive aspects of something • This lesson was prepared by Acharn Terry Fredrickson, BA Stanford, MA (TESL) University of Minnesota, Manager/Editor of the Learning Post at the Bangkok Post and general editor of this programme. Read our other instant lesson here. Return to our home page. | © The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2005 | Last modified: March 22, 2005