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Laughter, the best medicine

“Plain and simple, laughter heals,” said Koc. “The mind and body let go of stress when we laugh—and this true for both children and adults. “The feel-good chemicals of the brain, endorphins and the like, are enhanced while at the same time the stress-related chemicals such as cortisol and epinephrine are reduced. It’s well-documented that the immune system also gets a healthy boost as a result of laughing, and our breath and circulation are affected in positive ways.”
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In 2016, Gnomies World won Best Animated Film at the Northwest Comic Fest, and Official Selection at the Oregon Independent Film Festival.

Gnomies World is available on DVD from Beyond Words Publishing. For information, visit www.gnomiesworld.com

How to choose children’s media that relaxes instead of revs up:

Here are five key elements proven to create physiological shifts in the body, and help your kids relax.

• Healing nature: Studies show that observing nature creates a shift in the body’s physiology.
• Sound therapy: Music is well known to shift mood. Look for music that creates relaxation in the body.
• Laughter and humor: The laughter response is well documented as an effective way to relieve stress and release feel-good endorphins in the body.
• Peace and positivity: Snarky sarcasm may seem funny, but this type of "put down" humor loads kids with negative thoughts.
• Slower pacing: Modern media is over-stimulating to kids. Look for slower, more organic pacing that doesn’t keep kids on edge.
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Additional Sources

The benefits of nature, music and laughter are well documented for stress relief. Here are a few.

National Geographic: This is your brain on nature

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/call-to-wild-text 

University of Minnesota: Changes in health care setting: how does nature impact healing, reducing stress by adding nature images

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/healing-environment/what-happening-healthcare-settings-today

Healing Images: Company places nature images in medical settings for healing

http://www.healingimages.org/benefits/what-are-the-benefits-of-healing-images

Publish Health Journal, University of Kyoto: Psychological effects of forest environments on health

http://www.publichealthjrnl.com/article/S0033-3506%2806%2900146-6/abstract

Science Magazine: View through a window may influence recovery from surgery

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/224/4647/420

Chopra Center: Healing through nature 

http://www.chopra.com/articles/healing-through-nature

Norman Cousins: Anatomy of an Illness

https://healdove.com/alternative-medicine/normancousins

About the author: Sara Wiseman is a Nautilus award-winning author. She writes the Daily Divine blog and is a frequent contributor to national and regional publications in spirituality and holistic health.