明けましておめでとうございます。Happy
New Year!
*English article follows the below Japanese
article.
笑う所に福来る、そして、一年の計は元旦にあり。皆さん、笑ってますか？
だから、正月早々、笑っていると、一年中、何があっても笑いを絶やさずにすごすことができますよ。
え？不景気で笑ってる暇なんかない？ あんた、せめて正月ぐらい、そんな陰気な顔しなはんな。。。
実は、笑いとメンタルヘルスを含めた心身の健康とのポジティブな相関性は１９７０年代のノーマンカズンズが体験した笑いとガンによる痛みの軽減とガンその物の縮小とそれによる思いもよらぬ２０年以上の延命という事実に端を発し、日本の伊丹仁朗先生がこの事実と森田療法の理論を統合し、日本のサイコオンコロジーの源流ともいえる”いきがい療法”を確立しました。
あけましておめでとう、と言っても、実際、喪に服している人にはそうは言えないし、別にガンで苦しんでいなくても、一年間、いろんなことあり、その中にはあれこれと苦痛を伴うこともあります。そんな辛い時でも、陰気な顔して悲観的になってうつ状になる人もいれば、そういった状態にもかかわらずユーモアで笑いを絶やさない人もいます。
最近２０年の研究では笑うことにより免疫機能が高まり、こうしたことにより、ガン細胞や病原菌の増殖を抑えることができると解ってきました。
こうした生理学的なからくりが”笑う所に福来る”という日本古来のことわざの科学的根拠ですね。不景気やからって言うて、笑うこと忘れてしもうたら、あんたのそういった悲観的な考え方がほんまにあんたの人生そのものをボロボロにしまっせ。
私、医者のなり損ないどころか、医学部にも入れなかったほどのアホなので、心理（心裡）の”あきんど”の身分で医者のような偉そうなこと言うのも大変おこがましいのですが、正月なのであえて医者っぽいことを言わせてもらうと、笑いの効用を発揮する”くすり”としてこの上方落語をお楽しみください。
不景気な方、現実的に、今年もまたしょうもない年かも知れませんけど、せやけど、笑ってえんかった去年と違い、今年は、不景気でもなんとか笑っていける年になるかも知れへんで。せやったら、困難も乗り切りやすいし、第一、病気にもなりにくい。不景気やからいつも陰気な気分でしけた顔しとったら、不景気の上、病気になってしもうて、それこそ泣きっ面に蜂でっせ。
まあ、この笑福亭福笑さんの”きょうの料理”という落語にあるように、おいしい炒めもん食べて笑って、心も体も痛めんようにしたらええ。
この落語の”くすり”、どうぞ！お年玉ですわ。
*****
In Japan, we say, “where there is
laughter, there finds joy”. Ancient
Japanese believed that the Seven Lucky Deities would come to a home on a boat, loaded with treasures, to bless its
family on the New Year’s Day. To ensure the deities of happiness find your
home, you must keep your smile as you usher the new year in. It has also been
said in Japan that the deity of poverty seeks those who feel miserable and make
themselves looks miserable because of the condition. Even though the misery is
not lifted, you may, nevertheless, feel “happy” and experience joy amidst
struggles, if you make conscious efforts to laugh and smile, in spite of the
difficulties. It is because, the deity of poverty, who would keep you in misery
for sure, is believed to despise people who acts happy, as well as acts like as
if they were happy.
The Seven Lucky Deities on the Treasure Boat
In light of today’s clinical psychology,
the lucky deities and the poverty deity in the above-mentioned Japanese folk
belief correspond to positive belief and negative belief, respectively. In
particular, this is related to an important clinical principle of cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT), which has been known for its efficacy in treating
depression. With mindfulness, this
yields great effects in fighting depression, as indicated by a research study
by Teasdale et al. (2000)*. Thus, it is good to keep our intention
(mindfulness) to seek “lucky deities” by making conscious efforts for smiling
and laughing.
Another Japanese proverb says, if the
beginning is good, then, the ending is also good. It means that if you begin
the New Year with a smile, then, you will also close the year with a smile.
Ever since Norman Cousins’ experience of
how laughter could alleviate cancer pain and even shrinking cancer mass, resulting
in his more-than-20-years of “extra” life during the 1970s, as written in his “Anatomy
of Illness” (1981), scientists have been studying how laughter, as well as a
sense of humor, can contribute to health, including mental health. And, the
results are consistently showing positive correlations. In the last 15 years, studies, such as Takahashi et al. (2001)**, show
that laughter boosts immune functions, in particular, stimulating the function
of NK cells, to discourage the growth of cancer cells and pathogens in our
body.
As the Bible (Proverb 17:22) indicates,
laughter sure is the best medicine!
Some may complain that not everyone
feels “happy”. It is true that not everyone during the holiday season is in
mood for laughter, even when everyone else is saying, “Merry Christmas”, “Happy
Chanukah”, and “Happy New Year”.
It is not necessarily “Merry Christmas”
and “Happy New Year” to everyone, as
some have been mourning their loved ones’ losses with pain of grief, others have
been suffering and struggling with life’s challenges, and so forth. In fact, it hurts more when everyone else is
in merry and jolly mood but you find yourself not so and feel so isolated. And,
this is how some of those who are not in mood for laughter and smile feel
during the holiday season.
But, this is where Norman Cousins’
lesson kicks in. And, we must be mindful about it – if we do not want the
misery to become permanent.
In spite of all this hard reality in
life, which can keep us from laughing, if we manage to laugh and smile, then,
the pain of life’s suffering may be alleviated, if not necessarily life’s
suffering itself would be taken away.
This is what the quality of life (QOL)
as well as meaning of life, is about.
This is what resilience of life is about.
As we find something that is likely to
make us laugh, we put ourselves in a better position to attract the seven lucky
deities and keep these lucky deities with us throughout the year. Keep this
always in mind is in our daily mindfulness. This way, we live this Zen proverb:
Everyday is a good day (日々是好日), no matter how
life circumstances may turn. This is our
resilience that lead to QOL and meaningfulness in life.
And, this is not a laughing matter (no
pun intended…ha, ha). Otherwise, we would be stuck with the deity of poverty
and misery.
*Teasdale, J. D.; Segal, Z. V.;
Williams, J. G.; Ridgeway, V. A.; Soulsby, J. M.; & Lau, M. A. (2000).
Prevention of relapse/recurrence
in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology, Vol 68(4), Aug 2000, 615-623
**
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