Humour as a Treatment Method

laughterYou may have heard the old adage that laughter is the best medicine. In reality, laughing does seem to have benefits when used in the treatment of both mental and physical disorders. Laughter is currently being used to help people with a variety of problems from depression and high blood pressure to cancer and anxiety. Laughter has a positive effect on both the human psyche and immune system and, as a result, many health care professionals are incorporating humour into their treatment of mental and emotional disorders.

From a cognitive perspective, it appears that when we learn to be open to humour, we increase our ability to see things from more than one perspective. We become more creative. The flexibility that this facilitates helps people to get out of mental “ruts” and improve negative and stereotypical thinking. Laughter also helps people remove sadness and anxiety from their lives. Just as one cannot experience darkness where there is light, a person cannot experience anger where there is genuine laughter (laughter that is not at the expense of another).

Laughing is believed to disrupt the stress response of the autonomic nervous system. Laughter helps with our breathing and boosts tolerance to pain. The immune system increases its production of antibodies and decreases its release of stress hormones. If possible, people should laugh every day!

While this course has not described all the available methods used in the treatment of mental illnesses, the following chart provides a broader view of some methods currently available.