Does excessive laughter kill the heart? |
The disease of hysterical laughter in an exaggerated way is a condition that some people are exposed to, as they lose the ability to control their emotions in general, including laughter. Condolences or in cases of loss or extreme sadness, or any situation that does not require laughter in such a way, and in this article on the Porto station site, we learn together about the causes and symptoms of hysterical laughter and methods of its treatment, follow us...
The scientific definition of hysterical laughter
- Hysterical laughter or involuntary laughter syndrome in English: Pseudobulbar is a disorder of the nervous system that makes controlling emotions and impulses difficult to reach, such as repeated laughter for no reason mixed with crying, and there are several names associated with hysterical laughter, including emotional disorder, emotional incontinence, and false bulbar effect. .
Many scientific types of research indicate that approximately 10% of individuals around the world suffer from hysterical laughter syndrome.
Causes of hysterical laughter
Some scientists believe that hysterical laughter is caused by:
- Mood change, which indicates depression or bipolar depression.
- Damage to a part of the frontal cortex of the brain that is responsible for emotion control And emotions and has an impact on brain chemistry, and is accompanied by severe frustration and high mood changes.
- Laughter as a result of feeling stressed and anxious. Having some neurological disorders.
- Hyperthyroidism.
What is the reason for laughter in serious situations?
- Hysterical laughter in serious situations is caused by neurodevelopmental delays such as ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and autism.
- It may be the result of an involuntary reason that a person resorts to in order to defend himself or to divert attention from their feelings in a non-administrative way, and in this case, it is difficult for a person to control these improper emotions and feelings.
What is the reason for laughter in sad situations?
- We resort to hysterical laughter in order to fight the feelings that make us feel broken and vulnerable.
- We resort to laughter in sad situations because the only mechanism secreted by the body is in the form of defense mechanisms to reduce anxiety, confusion, stress, and discomfort.
- Laughter in sad situations helps to empty a person's negative energy, restore psychological balance, and strengthen the body's immunity against sadness and depression
The reason for hysterical laughter before bed
- Laughing before bed may be one of the healthy things that psychology experts recommend doing because it helps the body to secrete the hormone melatonin, which makes us feel relaxed and comfortable, before bed and then deep sleep.
- But the reason behind this hysterical laughter that some people experience right before bedtime may be the body's need for rest as a result of extreme fatigue, which the body involuntarily expresses with these loud giggles of laughter.
Symptoms of hysterical laughter
Psychologists have identified some symptoms for a person to have hysterical laughter, and the person may have the symptoms mentioned some times during a day or a month:
- Sudden laughter or sudden crying.
- Loss of the ability to control impulses.
- Laughing or crying in the wrong situation.
- Exposure to bouts of frustration and anger. Inappropriate facial expressions with an inner feeling of not being able to control the emotion.
- Embarrassment and regret as a result of expressing these conflicting feelings in front of others.
types of laughter
There are many types of laughter, and when laughter is repeated and unintentionally, among the types of laughter:
Pathological laughter
- It is certain that this laughter is pathological, and this is a sign of the presence of an underlying disease or medical condition that has a severe effect on the nervous system. Pathological laughter often has nothing to do with humor, childbirth, or any other expression of happiness.
Nervous laughter
- Science has confirmed to us that our minds are like the command center of our nervous system, which sends signals that control involuntary actions such as breathing as well as voluntary actions, such as walking or laughing, and what makes us laugh in these situations is a show of dignity and control.
- But when these signals go awry, as a result of conditions such as a chemical imbalance, abnormal brain development or a congenital abnormality, they can cause bouts of hysterical laughter.
Silent laughter
- It is a type of laughter in which the individual makes a sound, but expresses a momentary broad smile that ends with the immediate end of the situation, and if you want to practice this type of laughter, it takes some time.
Belly laughter
- When you laugh, you feel that the laugh comes from the abdomen and passes through all parts of your body until it reaches your mouth and makes a loud sound and noise, and often the owners of this laugh move their entire body and move from their places when they laugh.
He laughed like a pigeon buzzing
- It is a laugh that some people make when they laugh, closing their mouths and making a sound similar to the buzzing of pigeons that comes out muffled from the closed mouth in an attempt to hide your laughter.
hysterical laughter and its treatment |
Risk factors for hysterical laughter
Sometimes laughter is a medical symptom that deserves attention. Here is a real-world example:
Epilepsy
- Epilepsy may be one of the causes of hysterical laughter.
- Epilepsy patients may have new ways to vent their illness through laughter.
In 2007 AD, psychiatrists discovered a rare type of symptom that accompanies epilepsy, which is that a three-year-old girl from New York suffers from epilepsy with abnormal bouts of hysterical laughter, and then they performed an operation to remove a benign tumor that was growing in the girl’s brain, and it is worth It is worth noting that the girl has become a very normal girl after the operation.
Brain tumors
- Surgeons and neurologists help people who suffer from brain tumors. Some of these brain tumors cause uncontrollable fits of laughter. By removing the growth of these tumors, the pressure on the parts of the brain that can cause involuntary laughter is relieved.
Infection with Angelman syndrome and Tourette's syndrome
- Both may cause laughter as a symptom, and that syndrome is a rare chromosomal disorder that affects the nervous system, and people with Angelman syndrome mostly they cannot speak but they show “happy and excited behavior with smiling and laughing frequently as they laugh a lot due to increased stimulation of parts of the brain which is a neurobiological disorder.
Diseases of the mental and nervous system
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, as well as disease Parkinson's disease one of the diseases that may expose a person to bouts of unjustified laughter, and may cause a traumatic brain injury through accident or stroke that can lead to his appearance as well.
- Although the disease was described more than a century ago, it is still frequently misdiagnosed.
Depression and bipolar disorder
- Depression may be part of the causes, as well as lead to other symptoms associated with both depression and bipolar disease, in addition to being associated with patients with multiple sclerosis.
What are the harms of frequent laughter?
Continuous hysterical laughter may cause some damage, including:
- Feeling some pain, especially for patients with hernia, hemorrhoids and bronchitis. high blood pressure.
- Eye disorders and problems.
- The possibility of developing asthma. Inhalation of an excessive dose of nitrogen oxide.
- Headache.
- soreness in the jaw Urinary incontinence. Exposure to fainting and suffocation due to lack of blood flow in the blood vessels. Hysterical laughter may lead to the possibility of death, especially for heart patients and low pressure.
- Laughing too much can cause a stroke.
Does frequent laughter kill the heart? Did the Prophet forbid laughing?
- Yes, excessive laughter negatively affects the blood vessels connected to the heart, as indicated by the Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, in his saying: “Do not laugh excessively, for excessive laughter kills the heart.”
- This does not mean that the Messenger forbids us to laugh, rather he invites us to avoid a lot of laughter that is humiliating and the lack of an individual's insult in front of others, just as this does not indicate that the Islamic religion calls for sadness, and the evidence for that is that the Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, used to seek refuge in God from worry. And grief and sadness.
Treatment of hysterical laughter
First: the pharmacological treatment of hysterical laughter
- Laughter for no reason may be treated with antidepressant medications prescribed by a psychiatrist, which will help control bouts of laughter and sudden bouts of crying.
Tania: Psychocognitive behavioral therapy
Deal with hysterical laughter, there are some ways that can help with it in case of injury:
- You can accurately record the times of involuntary laughter and the reasons that prompted you to laugh.
- Try to control your feelings and emotions and talk to yourself before this laugh that you should not be doing.
- Breathe slowly and relax.
- Talk to a psychiatrist to give instructions for dealing with such situations.
- Talking to people who are suffering from the same problem to get psychological support.
How do I get rid of hysterical laughter?
There are some ways in which hysterical laughter can be eliminated, and these methods include the following:
- Try to relax, practice deep meditation exercises, and allow yourself to reach psychological calm.
- Stimulating creativity and revitalizing the mind through mental exercises that help activate mental cells.
- Try to distract yourself when exposed to stressful situations.
- Instead of laughing, do something else, such as chewing gum, squeezing a sponge to reduce stress, or putting off laughing when you're alone.
- Deep breathing exercises will help stop laughter.
- Avoid thinking of laughter during serious or sad situations.
Hysterical laughter is not always a mental illness. Its causes may be due to the presence of brain problems that require surgery, and it is a disease that can be cured in many cases, although it is a pleasant disease, it is often a cause of embarrassment and exposure to inappropriate situations if you suffer from this disease or One of your acquaintances or relatives were exposed to it, so you should go to a specialized doctor in order to find out the causes and the appropriate treatment method for the case.