Medical Matters:"Happiness is a way station between too much and too little" - Channing Pollock
How is your mood today? Are you in good form after a relaxing Easter weekend? Or are you feeling a bit tetchy, not really wanting to face into the renewed grind of work?
Mood can be defined as an emotional state which lasts for a reasonably long period of time, often hours or days. It is controlled by our mood system, a complex system of checks and balances in the brain. In particular, the limbic system in the centre of the brain preserves "normal" mood.
But our mood fluctuates, sometimes in response to external stimuli. Those of us who partook of some nice chocolate over the weekend boosted our levels of phenylethylamine and tryptophan, which are converted in the body to the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.
Both are key chemicals that help maintain normal mood. Dopamine is important in the experience of pleasure and helps activate the "pleasure box" in the centre of the brain. Chocolate is also thought to increase the levels of mood-enhancing endorphins in the brain.
So if you are in good form today, your mood has probably been partially influenced by eating chocolate or, indeed, other pleasurable activities you engaged in over the weekend.
Interest in the science of happiness has grown in recent years, not least because of the finding that happy people live longer and healthier lives. People who are subjectively happy also have lower blood pressure.
A recent Eurobarometer survey found nations that regarded themselves as happy reported lower levels of hypertension. Sweden and Denmark topped the happiness league; with generous social security systems in place, it has been suggested that people living in Nordic countries feel happier because they feel more secure.
A study of nuns, in which they were classified as either happy or unhappy when they entered a convent, found that two thirds of the unhappy nuns had died before their 83rd birthday. In contrast, 90 per cent of the happy nuns were still alive at the same age, with one 102-year-old attributing her longevity to being satisfied with her lot and enjoying what came her way.
While people living in richer countries are generally happier than those living in poorer parts of the world, greater wealth is not associated with an increased sense of wellbeing. Graduates who stated making money was a major goal in life have lower life expectancy.
While there is no simple happiness formula, it does seem that how we treat each other is important for our sense of wellbeing. Being kind to others is something that definitely makes the giver and receiver feel happier.
So promoting volunteering and formalising schemes to look after older people are health-promoting initiatives being looked at by the Government. One expert reckons the current obsession with targets in the health system should be replaced by a measure of whether patients are actually happy with what health professionals do for them.
Having a regular laugh at life is also good for health. A hearty laugh is a good form of aerobic exercise. Laughing on a regular basis boosts the activity of our immune system and reduces the level of stress hormones in the body.
Some advocates of the laughter theory have brought it a step further with the establishment of laughter yoga, which combines laughter exercises and gentle yoga breathing techniques. It is said to help practitioners cope better with stressful situations and so, feel happier.
Participants gather in groups and laugh for periods of 15 to 20 minutes on a regular basis. There are now more than 5,000 laughter yoga clubs worldwide, based on the brainchild of the Indian physician, Dr Madan Kataria.
So to get the rest of the week off to a good start, here are a couple of humorous tales.
A middle aged woman has a heart attack. In hospital she has a near death experience and meets God. She asks Him, "Is my time up?" "No," he replies, "you've another 40 years."
As soon as she comes around, she decides to make the most of the rest of her life. She stays in hospital and has breast implants, liposuction and a facelift.
A few days after her final operation she leaves hospital. Walking down the street, she is hit by a car, dies and goes to heaven. Once there she looks for God and furiously asks: "I thought you said I had another 40 years. Why didn't you save me from that car?" "Sorry," says God. "I just didn't recognise you."
Or how about the rather precocious 12-year-old boy who was sent to a psychologist for testing. The expert gives the boy a series of ink blot tests which he is asked to interpret.
Looking at the first one, the boy says: "It's a picture of a naked lady." On seeing the next one, he says the same thing. And after the third card, he says it's a female nude as well."Harry," the psychologist says, "you do seem to think about sex a lot."
"What do you mean I think about it a lot? You're the one who keeps showing me the rude pictures!"
• Dr Muiris Houston is pleased to hear from readers at mhouston@irish-times.ie but regrets he cannot reply to individual medical queries.
