Comedy Films May Boost Blood Flow To Heart
(courtesy of the Seattle Times, 1/17/06)
Heading to the movies? Pick a comedy if you want to boost the blood flow to your heart.
In a small study outlined in a letter published in the journal Heart, researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center asked 20 volunteers to watch 15- to 30-minute segments of sad and funny films. Examples of sad films included the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan," and examples of comedy films included "There's Something About Mary."
Participants were asked to abstain from drinking alcohol, using vitamins or herbs, or engaging in aerobic exercise the evening before the experiment, since those factors can affect blood flow.
The researchers then measured blood flow in the brachial artery, which runs from the shoulder to the elbow, and is a good indicator of blood flow around the body.
Brachial artery blood flow was reduced in 14 of the 20 volunteers after watching movie clips that caused distress. But it was increased in 19 of the 20 volunteers after watching movie clips that elicited laughter.
The impact of watching a sad film was of the same magnitude as remembering episodes of anger and doing mental arithmetic, the researchers said, and the impact of watching a funny film was equivalent to a bout of aerobic exercise or starting on a cholesterol-lowering drug treatment.
No comments:
Post a Comment