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Comedy night for mental health is just the ticket, Wednesday 16 September

Comedians Mark Thomas and Simon Amstell
28 July 2009

 

Some of comedy’s leading lights will be appearing at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Wednesday 16 September, to raise money for the Mental Health Foundation.  Rob Newman will be making a rare return to stand-up alongside the campaigning comedian Mark Thomas. They’ll be joined by Simon Amstell and other special guests. One Big Laugh will be hosted by Tom Price, from the BBC’s Torchwood and The Wrong Door.

 

Previous One Big Laugh gigs sold out in days. For tickets, contact the Bloomsbury Theatre box office on 020 7388 8822 or book online  tickets priced £17.50 (£15 concessions).

 

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilties is part of the Mental Health Foundation.

 

Laughter … did you know?

 

  • Laughter is thought to help lower stress hormone levels, improve mood, enhance creativity, as well as play apart pain reduction, improving immunity and reducing blood pressure. 1.  

 

  • In one study, employees who attended daily laughter workshops were found to be more optimistic and better at managing their work. 2.
     

  • Humour may seem like the simplest thing in the world, but it’s thought to involve many different areas of the brain including the right frontal cortex, the medial ventral prefrontal cortex, the right and left posterior (middle and inferior) temporal regions and the cerebellum. 3. 
     

  • Exposure to humour has been shown to have benefits for people with conditions ranging from schizophrenia to cancer, and stress-related complaints such as eczema and dermatitis. 4-7.
     

Ends

 

For more information contact the press office on 020 7803 1128.

 

References:

 

  1. Hassed C. , How humour keeps you well, Australian Family Physician, 2001

  2. Beckman H et al, Effect of workplace laughter groups on personal efficacy beliefs, The Journal Of Primary Prevention, 2007

  3. Wild et al., Neural correlates of laughter and humour, Brain: A Journal Of Neurology, 2003

  4. Gelkopf et al., The effect of humorous movies on inpatients with chronic schizophrenia, The Journal Of Nervous And Mental Disease, 2006

  5. Christie W. and Moore C., The impact of humor on patients with cancer, Clinical Journal Of Oncology Nursing 2005

  6. Kimata H, Viewing humorous film improves nighttime wakening in children with atopic dermatitis, Indian Pediatrics, 2007

  7. Kimata H, Increase in dermcidin-derived peptides in sweat of patients with atopic eczema caused by a humorous video, Journal Of Psychosomatic Research [J Psychosom Res] 2007 Jan; Vol. 62 (1), pp. 57-9.

 

Notes to editors

 

For more information please contact the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities press office on 020 7803 1130/28.

 

The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities promotes the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families.

 

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