Watching Comedy as a Remedy

I’m a comedy buff. Shows like video zonkers, Tom and Jerry and whacked out sports are some of my favorites. I watched them in my leisure time after work. It makes me relax and loose all tension caused by all day long activities.

Watching comedy is a good habit. There are many advantages of watching great comedy. Not only relaxing, watching movies that make you go laugh out loud also related to intelligence improvement, specifically at the problem solving skills. Unlike watching suspenseful movies or reading a speech in front of others which will inhibit your problem solving capability, comedy will make you relax hence ready to access personal resource. This conclusion is based on two latest scientific studies in the field of neuroscience conducted by Ohio State University neurologist David Q. Beversdorf in November 2005.

In the first study, student volunteers watched 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, a graphic depiction of the World War II invasion of Normandy. After the movie clip, they had to complete a word-association task. The volunteers also saw 20 minutes of the animated comedy Shrek. The cartoon watchers’ test scores were 39 percent higher. For Beverdorf, this concludes that the induced stress to the violent movie impaired mental flexibility.

The second investigation compared volunteers who had the give speeches in front of a panel of cold-looking “judges” with others who simply had to sit in a room and read. Some of the subjects were given the beta-blocker drug propranolol, which might provide an antidote. Propranolol is used to treat high blood pressure and migraines and which counteracts the stress hormone norepinephrine. Mental and physical tests administered after the activities indicated that the people taking propranolol experienced less stress and displayed greater cognitive flexibility than the other study volunteers.

This finding might open a new alternative as a treatment for people who suffer from serious anxiety disorders. For those feeling pressed, why not trying this easy and fun solution.