The following research list is from the Therapeutic Humor Library of The School of Public Health - Bloomington in their Preventions Insight Research Publication Library in partnership with the Association for Applied Therapeutic Humor:

Humor and Quality of Life in Adults With Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review

Bartzou, Eleni; Tsiloni, Evangelia; Mantzoukas, Stefanos; Dragioti, Elena; Gouva, Mary. Cureus. 2024.

Topics: Humor, Mental Health, Physical Health

Subjects: Chronic Disease

A systematic review of 18 studies with 4,325 adults living with chronic diseases found that humor was consistently linked to better psychological quality of life, while associations with physical quality of life were mixed. The evidence suggests that humor may play a beneficial role in well-being for this population...

Relationship between client laughter and session outcomes in metaverse counseling

Kang, Jieun; Baek, Woo Hyun; Jeong, Yeon Bin; Yang, Hyerin; Lee, Seongchan; Lee, Sang Min. BMC Psychology, Vol. 12. 2024.

Topics: Client Laughter, Counseling Outcomes

Subjects: Metaverse, Virtual Therapy

Cheerful and nervous laughter during individual sessions were linked to better session outcomes, while polite, reflective, and contemptuous laughter showed no significant effects. Across clients (between-client level) laughter types did not predict outcomes, although there was a within-session interaction between session number and cheerful laughter...

Breaking down the laughter: an exploration into the linguistic dimensions in stand-up comedy ratings

Cela, Herald; Veit, Sarah-Vanessa; Wood, Guilherme. BMC Psychology, Vol. 12. 2024.

Topics: Humor, Liguistic Analysis

Subjects: Stand-up Comedy

Analysis of stand-up comedy transcripts showed that higher-rated specials tended to use more negative emotion words and social references, while moralizing and negative mood language correlated with lower ratings. Female comedians received lower ratings than male comedians across the dataset. Older specials also tended to score higher than more recent ones...

Intelligent play: How improv can improve clinician's emotional intelligence

Mehta, Ankit; Hendel-Paterson, Brett; Shah, Nilesh; Hemphill, Jesse; Adams, Nell; Fredrickson, Mary. The Clinical Teacher, Vol. 21, Issue 4. 2024.

Topics: Improvisation Training, Emotional Intelligence

Subjects: Clinician Education

An abbreviated improvisation-workshop was offered to 64 practicing clinicians and trainees, with 41 completing both pre- and post-emotional-intelligence (EI) assessments. Average total EI scores rose by approximately 4.9 points following the two-hour online improv training. The findings suggest that improvisational training may serve as a practical adjunct to traditional clinician education by enhancing emotional intelligence...

First They Scream, Then They Laugh: The Cognitive Intersections of Humor and Fear

Hye-Knudsen, Marc; Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, Jens; Boutwell, Brian B. Evolutionary Psychology. 2024.

Topics: Evolutionary Psychology, Cognitive Appraisal

Subjects: Humor, Fear

This review explores how humor and fear are deeply intertwined from neurobiological, psychological, and evolutionary perspectives. The authors argue that humor retains the structural qualities of play and can transform fear-inducing stimuli into benign amusement through cognitive reframing and contextual cues...

Acting Professionally: Applying Medical Improv to Build Adaptive Communication Skills and Empathy to Address Interphysician Conflict

Schrepel, Caitlin; Dorn, Elizabeth; Amick, Ashley E. Journal of Graduate Medical Education. 2024.

Topics: Healthcare Professionals

Subjects: Medical Improv, Conflict Resolution

Medical improv techniques offer a way for physicians to build stronger communication skills and increase empathy, especially when facing conflict with other physicians. Practicing real-time responsiveness, active listening, and collaborative interaction can help clinicians improve team relationships and manage conflict more effectively in demanding clinical settings...

Substantial Increases in Healthcare Students' State Empathy Scores Owing to Participation in a Single Improvisation Session

Schwartz, Brian D; Rogers, Shane L; Michels, Nicole; Van Winkle, Lon J . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 21, Issue 5. 2024.

Topics: Improv

Subjects: Empathy, Healthcare Students

Healthcare students participated in a one- to two-hour improvisation session and showed significant increases in self-reported state empathy immediately afterward. The findings suggest that simple improv activities can boost interpersonal empathy among healthcare professional students...