A growing body of recent scientific evidence indicates that we have much more control over our minds, personalities, and personal illnesses than was previously known, and it is all occurring as a flood of other research is exposing the many benefits of humor on brain functioning.

The ability to change the structure and functioning of the brain through experiences and the conscious use of directed thoughts is referred to as neuroplasticity. The latest research in the field indicates that the adult brain can repair damaged regions and grow new neurons, and that willful activity has the power to shape the brain in new directions far into adulthood.

We often hear about the effects of illness and old age on the mind, but in the not-too-distant future, we will begin hearing more about the effects of the mind on the mind, and the power of the mind to direct and master its own fate.

The latest discoveries into how the brain responds to positive stimuli, including humor, could open doors to new therapies that may be created for depression, anxiety, and other common mental illnesses. By stimulating and enhancing the humor processing regions in the brains of the depressed or anxious, we could potentially reverse the chemistry of their conditions.........

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