“Don’t worry, be happy.”

While we maybe have heard that anger and stress can lead to increase cardiovascular risks, whereas laughter and positive thinking can decrease those risks. Did you know science has proven this? An interesting study looked at people’s responses watching a movie for about 15 minutes. They watched either a stressful movie (beginning of Saving Private Ryan) or a humorous movie (There’s Something about Mary). They found that blood vessels constricted by as much as 30% to 50% when watching the stressful movie, whereas vasodilatation (blood vessels opening up) occurred when investigators measured vascular function in subjects watching the comedies.
The effects of this change in blood flow usually lasted about an hour but some research has shown it to last up to 24 hours. This change in the blood vessel dilation is similar to taking statins (drugs for lowering cholesterol) or physical activity. Unfortunately some of us have lots of stress that lasts longer than 15 minutes and can’t be turned off as easy as a stressful movie.

So next time you feel a little angry or stressed out, maybe sit down a watch a good comedy and laugh yourself to a little better health. Maybe we could tell a few more jokes at work so as to improve our heart and overall health a little. And if you need help laughing more to reduce stress and anger don’t forget about Employee Assistance Programs. Programs such as these (in one study) have shown to reduced depression and reduced waist girth, increased HDL cholesterol levels (the good cholesterol) and physical activity (trend toward improvement), and patients were better at managing their anger and anxiety in eight visits. At one year, the reduction in depression was maintained, and there were significant improvements in self-rated health.