The latest research indicates that the adult brain not only has the ability to repair damaged regions, but to grow new neurons; that willful activity has the power to shape the brain in new directions far into adulthood.

We hear a lot about the effects of illness and old age on the mind, but in the not-too-distant future, we will begin hearing more about the effects of the mind on the mind, and the power of the mind to direct and master its own fate.

The latest discoveries into how the brain responds to positive stimuli such as humor could open doors to new therapies for depression, anxiety and other common mental illnesses. Perhaps by somehow stimulating and enhancing the humor processing regions in the brains of the depressed or anxious we can reverse the chemistry of their conditions. Why not use the positive powers of the brain to counter its negative powers?

It is a question that the fields of positive psychology and Gelotology are currently exploring. Gelotologists study the physiological and psychological effects of laughter, and practitioners of positive psychology seek to utilize personal strengths and positive emotions to build resiliency and psychological wellbeing in their clients. Both fields are the source of much research in the use of humor as a coping mechanism.

Unfortunately, researchers have demonstrated repeatedly that negative information has a greater impact on the brain than positive information. As a quick self-test of this concept, imagine that you won a $500 gift certificate to your favorite store. How would that feel?

Now imagine that, instead of winning the gift certificate, you lost $500. Research indicates that the intensity of your response to each of these situations will differ significantly, with the distress of losing $500 far outweighing the pleasure of gaining $500.

This outcome is so common that researchers have given it a name: the “negativity bias.” The negativity bias is a result of the of the fight-or-flight response that is activated only during negative experiences. The adrenaline rush and increased heart rate that occur with the fight-or-flight response cause negative events to be experienced more intensely and imprinted on the brain more firmly. The challenge for humor-based therapies will be determining how to apply the humorous stimuli in such a way that it has greater influence in shaping the brain than co-occurring, and usually overpowering, negative experiences.

The brain gives more attention to negative experiences over positive ones because negative events pose a chance of danger. By default, the brain alerts itself to potential threats in the environment, so awareness of positive aspects takes deliberate effort. The most effective therapies would use methods of making our brains more responsive to the positive than the negative.

Of course, we all differ in the degree to which we respond to the negativity bias. Some people are perpetually cheerful and upbeat while others suffer from a complete inability to experience pleasure or see the so-called bright side.

Researchers have found that when depressed people look at photos of fearful faces, they experience greater activation in the amygdala (responsible for emotion control) than nondepressed extroverts. When shown smiling faces, however, the reverse effect occurs, and the brains of the extroverts respond with greater activity than those who are depressed. Tal Yarkoni of Washington University in St. Louis, a student of the human brain’s responses to emotions, interpreted these results as follows:

Part of the reason extroverts seek social contact more often than neurotics may be that their reward system responds more positively to other people’s smiles, causing the extrovert to feel greater pleasure when they are around other people. On the other hand, individuals high on neuroticism may have brains that overreact to negative emotions, leading them to experience more anxiety and depression.

Although some people are naturally more negative, negative events still have a greater impact on everyone’s brains than positive events do. That impact often takes the form of even further vigilance regarding negative information and potential threats in the environment that must be constantly monitored. This vicious cycle is what leads so many people spiraling down rabbit holes of depression and extreme anxiety. There is a constant negative feedback loop at play that, if not interrupted or countered, can lead to significant psychological distress.

Negative experiences frequently are unavoidable, but reframing or reinterpreting the feedback loop is possible. Redefining negative situations in more positive or humorous terms counters the adverse psychological effects that would otherwise be experienced. While we have all heard the tragic stories of fired employees who return to their former workplaces to take vengeance upon those responsible for visiting such a disgrace upon them, the news media fails to report to us about those who, upon being fired, view it as an opportunity to find more fulfilling work or discover a new talent.

People inclined to react angrily or violently can, through conscious effort and the powers of neuroplasticity, use humor to redirect their thoughts more positively. Naturally negative people can develop more optimistic qualities by repeatedly mimicking their more optimistic peers’ reactions to negative events and circumstances.

The negativity bias generally occurs outside conscious awareness, so the first step in countering it is to realize it exists.

The first time you do a task, such as driving a car to a new location, you have to focus and fully concentrate on remembering which turns to take and what landmarks to look out for. After you have taken that route several times, however, you are able to do it with minimal conscious effort. You can let your mind wander to other thoughts while you make those lefts and rights and pass the landmarks because the repetition has imprinted the route on the circuitry of your brain. The same effect is found when positive information is used to counter negativity. At first, the intentionally positive reactions may feel forced, unnatural and possibly somewhat difficult, but over time, they will become second nature — a happier nature.

A maltreated animal has two potential responses to an abusive master: attack to stop the abuse, or cower/flee to avoid it. He cannot disarm the bully with a witty remark or ironically imitate his master behind his back for his own amusement. One of the first government actions in Nazi Germany was the establishment of a law against treacherous attacks on the state and party that made anti-Nazi humor an act of treason, and there was a reason for this. Research has shown that humor is the most effective means of preventing the indoctrination of brainwashing.

Used as both a shield and a weapon, humor has the power to soothe the most wounded and threaten the most evil. These qualities speak to its inherent potential — a potential that has not yet been entirely tapped or even recognized. Holocaust survivor Emil Fackenheim said, “We kept our morale through humor,” and many other survivors of the Holocaust, POW camps, torture and abuse have shared his sentiment. The stories of these survivors and findings of modern medical research support the notion that humor is an extremely effective tool for managing our advanced awareness and for creating new perspectives to cope with otherwise unbearable environments or circumstances.

Evidence for the direct benefits of humor lie in studies of the body’s chemical reaction to laughter. Among other things, laughter has been shown to reduce stress, boost the immune system and enhance brain chemistry through the release of serotonin and endorphins. Many popular antidepressants target the neurotransmitter serotonin by either blocking its reuptake or increasing production, but one can “self-medicate” using one’s own serotonin supply by watching a funny movie, going to a comedy show or playing a fun game. For the rejected lover or laid off worker, this self-induced boost of serotonin activates a neurochemical reaction that enhances their ability to tolerate the stress response and think creatively of coping options. Humor is a very effective means of dealing with overwhelming emotion and taking control of a situation.

Hunter “Patch” Adams, the physician portrayed by Robin Williams in the movie bearing his name, continues to use laughter as a primary tool in his treatment of patients, to great success. He is just one example of many who have witnessed and reported first-hand accounts of how essential humor is to both physical and emotional health.

It has been said that tragedy occurs where the tree, instead of bending, breaks. Amy Bishop, the University of Alabama professor who recently shot three colleagues to death and wounded three others, has frequently been referred to as serious, intense, and humorless. She clearly had the intellect to perform at the highest levels of society, but not the tools to cope with the related stresses. Had she taken the time to develop the tool that nature gave her for dealing with that stress, a sense of humor, her three colleagues might still be alive today. Many people have found ways to laugh off much worse things than being denied tenure, and the skill is one that is within us all.

Whereas professors teach us what has been written by other serious academics, comedians tell us what is going on in the world around us through a first-hand account that we can immediately identify with and understand. Comedic news programs such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report owe their phenomenal success to the common desire to hear the truth and face the world, but in tolerable terms. The comedian is not afraid to talk about the fears and concerns that most people try hard to conceal or deny. By not only bringing them into the open but also laughing at and minimizing them, the comedian puts himself and his audience in control and the concealed fears dissipate in the shared light of day.

We have all heard of the “Way of the Warrior” and the “Way of the Buddha,” and we live the “Way of the Professional,” the “Way of the Academic,” the “Way of the Spouse,” the “Way of the Parent,” etc. But for those looking for an easier and more fun path to a happier, healthier life, the “Way of the Comedian” could be the way to go. To those who avoid comedic opportunities in an effort to preserve a reputation as a serious professional, Wittgenstein said, “Never stay up on the barren heights of cleverness, but come down into the green valleys of silliness.” Widely regarded as the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, he speaks words of wisdom.

Some famous individuals who shared this perspective are quoted below:

A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.
- William Arthur Ward

You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.
- Bill Cosby

There is no defense against adverse fortune which is so effectual as an habitual sense of humor.
- Thomas W. Higginson

The more I live, the more I think that humor is the saving sense.
- Jacob August Riis

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.
- Francis Bacon

If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.
- Mohandas Gandhi

I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.
- Frank Howard Clark

Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.
- Mark Twain

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.
- Henry Ward Beecher