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How to Use Humor in Clinical Settings

2020; American Medical Association; Volume: 22; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1001/amajethics.2020.588

2376-6980

Paul Osincup,

Media Influence and Health

Abundant evidence documents positive physical and psychological health benefits of humor.Humor and laughter researchers at the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (yep, that's a real thing) not only study why humor helps, but also how it can be applied in health professions settings where patients are ill, injured, or otherwise vulnerable.Along with briefly outlining some health benefits of humor and pitfalls to avoid when using humor, this article provides actionable strategies for enhancing one's humor skill set and applying humor deftly (without doing harm) in clinical settings. Benefits of HumorMy being kicked out of my philosophy 101 ethics course in college taught me a lesson about humor.The professor asked, "What is philosophy?"I said, "A bunch of old white guys arguing about things that don't matter and nobody understands."He forcefully replied, "Do you not understand because it doesn't matter?Or does it not matter because you don't understand?You can leave this class until you have an answer!"In addition to ethics, he also taught me a great lesson about the application of humor.Before you can be a smart ass, you first must be smart.In the 25 years since my philosophical funny fail, I began to see the power of humor not only to get a laugh, but also to connect with people and even enhance health and wellbeing.We know that humor and laughter are shown to decrease levels of stress hormones, 1,2 lower blood pressure, 3 strengthen the immune system, 4,5,6 decrease pain, 7,8,9 and decrease inflammation. 10Laughter is an excellent addition to treating almost any condition-with the exception, perhaps, of urinary incontinence.Today, as president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH), 11 I study and apply humor to enhance health and human performance.At AATH, we define therapeutic humor as an intervention that promotes health and wellness by stimulating playful discovery, expression, or appreciation of the absurdity or incongruity of life's situations. 11It can enhance health or be used as a complement to treatment to facilitate healing or coping.This article discusses strategies for implementing humor in clinical settings, including how to develop humor habits, use improvisation as a tool, be