Temperance is exercising self-control and separating ourselves from evil, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Intemperance is the loss of self-control and joining with evil. Modern science is discovering that the bonds between the mind and the body are much closer than previously thought. What affects the body affects the mind and vice versa. Mental power is dependent on physical health, and physical well-being is fostered by a mind at peace.
Spiritual power is related to both mental and physical health.
As we realize that the brain is the only medium of communication between God and a person and that the mind is affected by the body, the importance of temperance comes into proper focus. Dr. William Fry, Jr., of the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford Medical School, likens laughter to a form of physical exercise. It causes huffing and puffing, speeds up the heart rate, raises blood pressure, accelerates breathing, increases oxygen consumption, gives the muscles of the face and stomach a workout, and relaxes muscles not involved in laughing. Twenty seconds of laughter, he has contended, can double the heart rate for three to five minutes. Examine your life carefully.