First News: Funny memes that help people cope with stress

First News is a 28-page weekly newspaper for young people delivered into homes across the UK every Friday. Find out more and try for free at firstnews.co.uk/1free MEME MEDICINE SOOTHES STRESS FUNNY memes may help people cope with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, says a new study. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University surveyed 748 people online in December 2020 to see whether viewing memes would affect their emotions, anxiety and ability to cope with COVID-19. The team picked memes from different websites and asked the participants to review and rate how funny and cute each meme was. Some had no relation to COVID-19, while others were based on the virus. The researchers found that people who viewed memes compared with other types of media had higher levels of humour and more positive emotions, as well as lower levels of stress about the pandemic. The lead author of the study, Professor Jessica Gall Myrick, said: “We found that viewing just three memes can help people cope with the stress of living during a global pandemic.” Myrick added that the findings suggest social media content about stressful public events can help people deal with the news without being overwhelmed by it. YOUR NEWS Young people! Send us your news and photos to newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk and have your story published on this page and, perhaps, in First News too. SCARES AT SCAREFEST By Maddie I WENT to the launch of Alton Towers’ Scarefest 2021 and tried out the brand-new Trick O’ Treat Maze! It was my first time at Alton Towers and I was SO excited, as I love roller coasters! First of all we got to try the new Trick O’ Treat Town, which was so much fun. You get a bag and you walk through a spooky town that has lots of doors in it. When you knock on the door, funny characters pop out and give you sweets or trick you. One of them shot us with a water pistol, which was funny! We got so many sweets! After that we went on all the rides we could. Me and my sister both loved the Gangsta Granny ride and Raj’s Bouncy Bottom Burp; it made us laugh so much. Because of Scarefest the theme park stayed open late and we got to do some rides in the dark, which was amazing. You can find out more about the Halloween events at www.altontowers.com. DIARY DATES WORLD FIREWORKS CHAMPIONSHIP OCTOBER 23 The crème de la crème of the world’s fireworks experts gather in Blackpool to discover who will win this year’s top prize. A big fireworks display will take place to celebrate. UNITED NATIONS DAY OCTOBER 24 United Nations Day marks the founding of the United Nations (UN) in 1945. The organisation was set up to help promote international peace, security and human rights across the world. It is made up of 193 member states. NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY OCTOBER 27 The charity Cats Protection aims to celebrate the beauty of black cats and raise awareness of their need for homes. QUICK NEWS Surprisingly, 449,000 people in the UK bought Christmas puddings in September! That’s up 76% compared to the same month last year, market research company Kantar says. WWF and British Antarctic Survey are asking members of the public to help spot walruses in satellite pictures taken from space. The project hopes to find out how the animals are being impacted by climate change. WEEKLY PUZZLE – Last week’s puzzle answer: meteorite.