“We all have a choice as to how to respond to stressful situations. Take losing one’s luggage. We can respond with humor: ‘Has my luggage gone somewhere interesting? Is it out having a good time?’ Or we can take it as a calamity. When you’re stressed, your heart pounds, pupils dilate and catecholamines pour into the bloodstream and suppress immunity. So it’s probably physiologically helpful to have a sense of humor.”
