Humor and Stress

April 16, 2009

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Profile America — Thursday, April 16th. Something which you may have sensed without being told turns out to be true. We all feel better when we laugh, and two observances this month point that out. For one, it’s Stress Awareness Month, a time to focus on one of the nation’s growing health problems. Personal and general economic woes can cause stress, along with worries about family relationships and job stability. However, April is also National Humor Month — honoring one of the best antidotes to stress. Experts say laughter has therapeutic value and can increase not only the quality, but perhaps even the length, of life. Stress is one of the culprits in cardiovascular disease — which takes the lives of more than 850,000 people in the U.S. every year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 196, 198
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 113
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html