Every Sunday morning, I receive a copy of Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper in my email. I learned about her paper when my wife and I were involved in the work to find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, an issue close to Shriver’s heart.
One of the articles in today’s paper is a piece by Paul Osinacup about the use of humor to care for your health and to cope with hard times. It didn’t surprise me at all to find a section in his article about the healing power of writing.
Write down three funny things every day. Researchers have found that people who write down three things they found humorous or amusing each day for one week were able to increase their overall happiness and decrease depressive symptoms for up to six months. The great thing about this exercise is that you can begin to train your brain to find the humor in things in real-time, rather than in retrospect.
So the notion that writing can make you healthier and happier is not just wishful thinking that I cooked up. Although it is obvious and intuitive for anyone who has put words on paper, it also has the power of scientific research behind it.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, not at you.
Did you hear the one about …
Take a minute or two today to jot down three things that made you laugh or smile, and see how much better it makes you feel. If you want to share something funny in the comments, be my guest.
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