2. Thesis Statement Teenagers’ lives are adversely affected by stress; therefore they need to develop their sense of humor in order to cope with it. Stress Humor

3. Stress 80% 20% What is stress? Stress is the body’s state of mental or emotional strain or tension caused by adverse circumstances, changes, or challenges. Results of a survey (2013) conducted among 129 teenagers show:

4. Causes of Stress According to a survey (2013) conducted among 129 teenagers:

5. Effects of Stress Health Mood Behavior Relationships Productivity Quality of life Results of a survey (2013) conducted among 129 teenagers show: 56% 44% 1 2 3 4 5 6

7. Humor What is humor? The ability to make something seem funny with which it induces laughter or amusement. 40% 60%

8. Humor and Stress In order for the body to be in a state of balance, positive emotions have to be incorporated when stress is experienced. Example: Humor and laughter maintain a positive outlook. +ve emotions -ve emotions Happy messengers Sad messengers

9. 40% 15% 45% Humor and Stress Halah AlWatban, a senior at Dhahran Ahliyya School says: “When I feel stressed I start over-thinking which makes me feel depressed, I know that laughter would make me feel less stressed, but in some cases I can’t see the humor in the situation”.

10. Developing a Sense of Humor Smile Count and thank your blessings. Give more space to happy and exciting thoughts in your mind. Learn from other people’s humor.

11. Developing a Sense of Humor *Be sarcastic or ironic *Use puns *Reframe *Add sound effects *Exaggerate stressful situations *Observe people’s facial expressions

12. Developing a Sense of Humor Plan to cheer up at least one person who is feeling down. Develop a routine to break the dark mood.

13. References Krantz, D. D., Thorn, B., Kiecolt-Glaser, J. (2012). How stress affects your health. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress.aspx McNeely, C., Blanchard, J., (2008). The Teen Years Explained. Adolescent Health: A guide to Healthy Adolescent Development. Retrieved from http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-adolescent- health/_includes/Teen_Stress_Standalone.pdf Seaward, B. L. (2011). Managing stress a creative journal (4 th ed.). Sudbury, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Smith, M., Segal, R., & Segal, J. (2013). Stress Symptoms, Signs & Causes: Effects of Stress Overload. Helpguide. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs Watson, K. K., Matthews, B. J., & Allman, J. M. (2006). Brain Activation During Sight Gags And Language-Dependent Humor. Cerebral Cortex, 17(2), 314-324. (2011). Teens and Stress. UCLA/RAND Prevention Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.ph.ucla.edu/prc/downloads/SM_Teen (2012, June 25). Why stress makes you miserable. Science. Retrieved from http://news.sciencemag.org/brain-behavior/2012/06/why-stress-makes-you- miserable (2013). Stress. Palo Alto Medical Foundation Sutter Health. Retrieved from http://www.pamf.org/teen/life/stress/50stresses

14. Product Purpose: -To spread awareness on the adverse effects of stress caused by various factors. -To spread awareness on the different techniques for developing a sense of humor.

15. -Mrs. Malick -Mrs. Ameena Abdussamad -Participants of the survey (2003) -Sarah AlAbdullatif -Najla AlJabr -Halah AlWatban -Lama AlMuhaish