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The Medical Benefits of Humor
In her article Humor and Health: Is it Effective, Ana Kadkhodayan explores the medical benefits of humor in the health profession. Numerous studies have shown that laughter can improve health and lead to better immune function. These theories, though only recently having been delved deeper, have been around for over one hundred years. The idea is so powerful that the American Association for Therapeutic Humor has been established. Humor and its possible benefits have become such powerful theories that Hollywood is now tackling the issue, with movies like Patch Adams and related films popping up in theaters.
Humor has many dimensions. The American Heritage Dictionary defines humor as “the quality of being amusing or comical, the ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is comical or funny, a state of mind; mood, a sudden inclination; whim.” Thus, humor is in part, a matter of perception. This is prominently emphasized in the differences of gender humor and age-appropriate humor. While a toddler delights in peek-a-boo and related games, an adolescent favors slapstick comedies (i,e: The Three Stooges, Caddyshack, etc) and regards peek-a-boo as “silly and childish.” Similarly, most men prefer slapstick comedy while women shake their heads in bewilderment. Because of these differences, studies on humor are somewhat controversial because of their lack of objectivity and control. This being said, humor is a universal phenomenon, crossing all cultural and ethnic lines.
There are four different mechanisms by which humor can be delivered. One is through rigorous laughter which reduces muscle tension and heart palpitation, endorphin production and enriched blood. Because laughter is a physical component of humor, it is crucial to the effectiveness of humor. Humor without the component of laughter is deemed ineffective.
The second mechanism by which humor can improve health is by evoking a positive emotional response. In this regard, anything that can spur positive thoughts can act as humor does. Love, success and faith all support this argument. For example, when a masseuse goes to give a massage he or she usually tries to put the client in a positive frame of mind. Yoga instructors use a similar technique to channel positive energy and eliminate negative energy.
The third mechanism by which humor can improve health is through stress-reduction. Stress is the body’s biggest enemy. Humor, especially humor through laughter, can reduce stress levels in the body by nearly sixty-percent. Anything that can counteract the adverse affects of stress by reducing it in the body, is a powerful weapon against stress.
Another view, held by Dan Martin, author of the book Laugh Your Way to Good Health is that the greater a person’s sense of humor, the greater fighting power they have to combat stress in the body, thereby improving their health.
Another benefit of humor is it’s improvement of patient-physician communications. Humor helps to build a rapport between the physician and the patient, thereby making the patient more comfortable with the physician and more likely to discuss health issues more intimately.
Probably, the biggest and most powerful tool that humor aids in is pain management. Patients who watch comedies after surgery and other medical procedures where pain is involved asked for significantly less pain medication the second day. This is a powerful tool to help both the elderly and the chronically ill to receive better treatment.
Humor also aids in the management of a chronic or terminal illness. Patients that can use humor as a coping method for their illness significantly increased their chances of surviving their illness. In addition, the use of humor made treatment more bearable.
Like anything else, humor must be used in moderation. Certain types of humor such as sarcasm, ethnic and sexist humor, cynical humor and “gallows humor,” humor that deals with death are not always appropriate in a patient-physician setting.
Overall, the subject of humor and its medical benefits is one that is just beginning to be delved into. Much more research needs to be conducted with more control groups and monitored environments. Researchers are just beginning to open the doors on this controversial yet powerful topic.
The Medical Benefits of Humor
In her article Humor and Health: Is it Effective, Ana Kadkhodayan explores the medical benefits of humor in the health profession. Numerous studies have shown that laughter can improve health and lead to better immune function. These theories, though only recently having been delved deeper, have been around for over one hundred years. The idea is so powerful that the American Association for Therapeutic Humor has been established. Humor and its possible benefits have become such powerful theories that Hollywood is now tackling the issue, with movies like Patch Adams and related films popping up in theaters.
Humor has many dimensions. The American Heritage Dictionary defines humor as “the quality of being amusing or comical, the ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is comical or funny, a state of mind; mood, a sudden inclination; whim.” Thus, humor is in part, a matter of perception. This is prominently emphasized in the differences of gender humor and age-appropriate humor. While a toddler delights in peek-a-boo and related games, an adolescent favors slapstick comedies (i,e: The Three Stooges, Caddyshack, etc) and regards peek-a-boo as “silly and childish.” Similarly, most men prefer slapstick comedy while women shake their heads in bewilderment. Because of these differences, studies on humor are somewhat controversial because of their lack of objectivity and control. This being said, humor is a universal phenomenon, crossing all cultural and ethnic lines.
There are four different mechanisms by which humor can be delivered. One is through rigorous laughter which reduces muscle tension and heart palpitation, endorphin production and enriched blood. Because laughter is a physical component of humor, it is crucial to the effectiveness of humor. Humor without the component of laughter is deemed ineffective.
The second mechanism by which humor can improve health is by evoking a positive emotional response. In this regard, anything that can spur positive thoughts can act as humor does. Love, success and faith all support this argument. For example, when a masseuse goes to give a massage he or she usually tries to put the client in a positive frame of mind. Yoga instructors use a similar technique to channel positive energy and eliminate negative energy.
The third mechanism by which humor can improve health is through stress-reduction. Stress is the body’s biggest enemy. Humor, especially humor through laughter, can reduce stress levels in the body by nearly sixty-percent. Anything that can counteract the adverse affects of stress by reducing it in the body, is a powerful weapon against stress.
Another view, held by Dan Martin, author of the book Laugh Your Way to Good Health is that the greater a person’s sense of humor, the greater fighting power they have to combat stress in the body, thereby improving their health.
Another benefit of humor is it’s improvement of patient-physician communications. Humor helps to build a rapport between the physician and the patient, thereby making the patient more comfortable with the physician and more likely to discuss health issues more intimately.
Probably, the biggest and most powerful tool that humor aids in is pain management. Patients who watch comedies after surgery and other medical procedures where pain is involved asked for significantly less pain medication the second day. This is a powerful tool to help both the elderly and the chronically ill to receive better treatment.
Humor also aids in the management of a chronic or terminal illness. Patients that can use humor as a coping method for their illness significantly increased their chances of surviving their illness. In addition, the use of humor made treatment more bearable.
Like anything else, humor must be used in moderation. Certain types of humor such as sarcasm, ethnic and sexist humor, cynical humor and “gallows humor,” humor that deals with death are not always appropriate in a patient-physician setting.
Overall, the subject of humor and its medical benefits is one that is just beginning to be delved into. Much more research needs to be conducted with more control groups and monitored environments. Researchers are just beginning to open the doors on this controversial yet powerful topic.
