The reason why we laugh has been the subject of serious academic study, examples being:
Sigmund Freud's "Jokes and Their Relationship to the Unconscious".
Marvin Minsky in Society of Mind.
Marvin suggests that laughter has a specific function related to the human brain. In his opinion jokes and laughter are mechanisms for the brain to learn Nonsense. For that reason, he argues, jokes are usually not as funny when you hear them repeatedly.
Arthur Koestler, in The Act of Creation, analyzes humor and compares it to other creative activites, such as literature and science.
Edward de Bono in "The mechanism of the mind" and "I am right, you are wrong".
Edward de Bono suggests that the mind is a pattern matching machine, and that it works by recognising stories and behavior and putting them into familiar patterns. When a familiar connection is disrupted and an alternative unexpected new link is made in the brain via a different route than expected, then laughter occurs as the new connection is made. This theory explains a lot about jokes. For example:
Why jokes are only funny the first time they are told: once they are told the pattern is already there, so there can be no new connections, and so no laughter.
Why jokes have an elaborate and often repetitive set up: The repetition establishes the familiar pattern in the brain. A common method used in jokes is to tell almost the same story twice and then deliver the punch line the third time the story is told. The first two tellings of the story evoke a familiar pattern in the brain, thus priming the brain for the punch line.
Why jokes often rely on stereotypes: the use of a stereotype links to familiar expected behavior, thus saving time in the set-up.
Why jokes are variants on well known stories (eg the genie and a lamp): This again saves time in the set up and establishes a familiar pattern.
Laughter, the intended human reaction to jokes, is healthful in moderation, uses the stomach muscles, and releases endorphins, natural happiness-inducing chemicals, into the bloodstream.
One of the most complete and informative books on different types of jokes and how to tell them is Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor, which encompasses several broad categories of humor, and gives useful tips on how to tell them, who to tell them to, and ways to change the joke to fit your audience.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Getting Depressed but too afraid to see the ‘crazy-peoples’ doctor?
With the exciting arrival of a new baby, nobody noticed that Mubashara had fallen victim to severe post-natal depression. Only two weeks after giving birth, she slit her wrists with a kitchen knife. She was found lying in a pool of blood by her mother-in-law and was rushed to hospital. Thankfully, the doctors managed to save her life. Her family couldn’t fathom why she would want to kill herself.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t love my baby,” explained Mubashara. “I just suddenly felt so overwhelmed. I would be up all day and night, tending to my daughter, and then doing household chores while she was sleeping. I got stitches during childbirth and they would be hurting constantly, making it difficult to even walk sometimes. Despite this, nobody would even notice that I was in pain. I felt isolated, as if all anyone could think about was the baby and no one cared about me anymore. Then, I would feel guilty about thinking such selfish thoughts. I just began to hate myself and wanted to put an end to my life.” Mubashara eventually managed to overcome her depression with the help of her family and regular doses of anti-depressants. For a few months, she visited a psychotherapist who assisted her in coming to terms with her new role as a mother.
“Women are more likely to get depressed than men because of all the hormonal changes that they go through,” said Dr Uzma Ambareen, clinical director of the Pakistan Association for Mental Health, who trained at Brown University and the University of Columbia in Psychiatry and Neurology and has been with PAMH since 1998. “Their body goes through so many changes during adolescence, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. They are most vulnerable to depression at these times.”
However, other than hormonal changes, there are many other factors that can also lead to depression. “Depression is a mental illness marked by an intense and persistent feeling of sadness,” defined Dr Rubeena Kidwai, who has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and works with the Pakistan Association for Mental Health. “It can be inherited or can be caused by changes in the brain’s biochemistry, a traumatic or stressful experience, a change in thinking in reaction to events in life, or a combination of some or all of these causes. It can also be experienced as a secondary illness by an individual suffering from a painful disease.” Some of the symptoms of depression include sleeplessness, loss of appetite, low sense of self-worth, inability to concentrate, irritability, fatigue, headaches, a desire to be isolated from others and suicidal thoughts. If a person suffers from any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, he or she is clinically depressed.
A lot of people endure these symptoms without realizing that they are depressed. They visit doctors, only to receive a clean bill of health. Ahmed, a 13-year old boy, frequently suffered from headaches. The headaches could sometimes be allayed by medicines but at other times, they worsened to intense migraines. He spent hours locked up in his room, refusing to socialize with family and friends, and often complained of nightmares. Medical tests indicated that there was nothing wrong with his body. Finally, Ahmed’s parents took him to see a psychiatrist, who deciphered that he was suffering from moderate depression.
“There was no particular reason for Ahmed to be depressed,” said Ahmed’s mother. “The psychiatrist explained that a lot of times the exact cause of depression cannot be ascertained. Perhaps it was due to something that scared him during his childhood or simply because he was more sensitive to what happened around him than other people or it could just be part of his genetic makeup.” In order to cure him, the doctor prescribed Ahmed medication. He also had to attend regular counseling sessions for more than a year.
According to Dr Kidwai, a patient suffering from mild to moderate depression may not need medicines and may just be advised to get counseling. “In the case of severe depression, the patient is unable to perform his or her daily tasks and may also be feeling suicidal,” she said. “In such cases, medicine has to be prescribed immediately, along with psychotherapy. Usually, the medicine improves the patient’s condition within six weeks. Then, gradually, the level of medication is tapered off until it is not needed at all. When a patient has felt well for six months, he or she is cured.”
However, some people are never able to completely stop using anti-depressants. Nasreen, a 48-year old woman, fell prey to depression when her husband died 20 years ago. She has been taking anti-depressants ever since. “Every time the doctor tries to reduce my medication, I immediately have a relapse,” she lamented. “I begin to feel dizzy, cry all the time and my stomach gets upset. Even if I resume taking my original dosage of anti-depressants, it still takes me several months before I can feel normal and healthy again. My psychiatrist says that I suffer from chronic depression and will probably have to continue taking anti-depressants for the rest of my life.”
In many cases, depression cannot be helped. Nevertheless, every individual can take certain steps to try to prevent falling victim to this disease. “A person can try to prevent depression by maintaining a productive lifestyle,” advised Dr Ambareen. “It is important for all of us to take part in activities that make us feel happy. A positive feeling of self-worth may be derived from a hobby, through physical exercise, by turning to religion or by doing altruistic work. You need to recognize what makes you happy and then try to involve yourself in such activities, if not daily then at least twice a week. It is also important to get a good night’s sleep and to have healthy meals. Alcohol and drugs should be avoided, since they contain chemicals that can harm the brain. It always helps to have a strong support system - family and friends who you can share your feelings with. In Pakistan, a lot of people are lucky to be living in joint families. Their depressed feelings can be recognized by their family members and they can be treated before their condition worsens.”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t love my baby,” explained Mubashara. “I just suddenly felt so overwhelmed. I would be up all day and night, tending to my daughter, and then doing household chores while she was sleeping. I got stitches during childbirth and they would be hurting constantly, making it difficult to even walk sometimes. Despite this, nobody would even notice that I was in pain. I felt isolated, as if all anyone could think about was the baby and no one cared about me anymore. Then, I would feel guilty about thinking such selfish thoughts. I just began to hate myself and wanted to put an end to my life.” Mubashara eventually managed to overcome her depression with the help of her family and regular doses of anti-depressants. For a few months, she visited a psychotherapist who assisted her in coming to terms with her new role as a mother.
“Women are more likely to get depressed than men because of all the hormonal changes that they go through,” said Dr Uzma Ambareen, clinical director of the Pakistan Association for Mental Health, who trained at Brown University and the University of Columbia in Psychiatry and Neurology and has been with PAMH since 1998. “Their body goes through so many changes during adolescence, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. They are most vulnerable to depression at these times.”
However, other than hormonal changes, there are many other factors that can also lead to depression. “Depression is a mental illness marked by an intense and persistent feeling of sadness,” defined Dr Rubeena Kidwai, who has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and works with the Pakistan Association for Mental Health. “It can be inherited or can be caused by changes in the brain’s biochemistry, a traumatic or stressful experience, a change in thinking in reaction to events in life, or a combination of some or all of these causes. It can also be experienced as a secondary illness by an individual suffering from a painful disease.” Some of the symptoms of depression include sleeplessness, loss of appetite, low sense of self-worth, inability to concentrate, irritability, fatigue, headaches, a desire to be isolated from others and suicidal thoughts. If a person suffers from any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, he or she is clinically depressed.
A lot of people endure these symptoms without realizing that they are depressed. They visit doctors, only to receive a clean bill of health. Ahmed, a 13-year old boy, frequently suffered from headaches. The headaches could sometimes be allayed by medicines but at other times, they worsened to intense migraines. He spent hours locked up in his room, refusing to socialize with family and friends, and often complained of nightmares. Medical tests indicated that there was nothing wrong with his body. Finally, Ahmed’s parents took him to see a psychiatrist, who deciphered that he was suffering from moderate depression.
“There was no particular reason for Ahmed to be depressed,” said Ahmed’s mother. “The psychiatrist explained that a lot of times the exact cause of depression cannot be ascertained. Perhaps it was due to something that scared him during his childhood or simply because he was more sensitive to what happened around him than other people or it could just be part of his genetic makeup.” In order to cure him, the doctor prescribed Ahmed medication. He also had to attend regular counseling sessions for more than a year.
According to Dr Kidwai, a patient suffering from mild to moderate depression may not need medicines and may just be advised to get counseling. “In the case of severe depression, the patient is unable to perform his or her daily tasks and may also be feeling suicidal,” she said. “In such cases, medicine has to be prescribed immediately, along with psychotherapy. Usually, the medicine improves the patient’s condition within six weeks. Then, gradually, the level of medication is tapered off until it is not needed at all. When a patient has felt well for six months, he or she is cured.”
However, some people are never able to completely stop using anti-depressants. Nasreen, a 48-year old woman, fell prey to depression when her husband died 20 years ago. She has been taking anti-depressants ever since. “Every time the doctor tries to reduce my medication, I immediately have a relapse,” she lamented. “I begin to feel dizzy, cry all the time and my stomach gets upset. Even if I resume taking my original dosage of anti-depressants, it still takes me several months before I can feel normal and healthy again. My psychiatrist says that I suffer from chronic depression and will probably have to continue taking anti-depressants for the rest of my life.”
In many cases, depression cannot be helped. Nevertheless, every individual can take certain steps to try to prevent falling victim to this disease. “A person can try to prevent depression by maintaining a productive lifestyle,” advised Dr Ambareen. “It is important for all of us to take part in activities that make us feel happy. A positive feeling of self-worth may be derived from a hobby, through physical exercise, by turning to religion or by doing altruistic work. You need to recognize what makes you happy and then try to involve yourself in such activities, if not daily then at least twice a week. It is also important to get a good night’s sleep and to have healthy meals. Alcohol and drugs should be avoided, since they contain chemicals that can harm the brain. It always helps to have a strong support system - family and friends who you can share your feelings with. In Pakistan, a lot of people are lucky to be living in joint families. Their depressed feelings can be recognized by their family members and they can be treated before their condition worsens.”
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