Researchers from the University of Maryland have concluded that watching a comedy can increase blood flow as much as aerobic exercise or regularly taking heart medication.
On the flipside, the mental anguish caused by watching a drama significantly decreases blood flow.
Link.
This is good news for me. As I've gotten older, I've developed a dislike of horror and violent films. The images stick in my mind too long, making me nervous and paranoid and, in general, ill-at-ease. Comedies, on the other hand, make me laugh harder, and I feel pretty good after watching them.
It reminds me a bit of T.S. Eliot's refusal to read Flannery O'Connor's violent stories. He said he didn't doubt they were good, but doubted whether his constitution could withstand them.
