Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Humor in medicine.

Howard J Bennett1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.

Southern Medical Journal
|December 31, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

While humor and laughter are popular, scientific evidence for health benefits is limited. However, humor aids patient-physician communication, patient care, and stress reduction for medical professionals.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Dictionary of Medical Puns.

Postgraduate medicine·2017
Same author

Does breastfeeding prevent nocturnal enuresis?

Pediatrics·2006
Same author

Hogwarts headaches--misery for muggles.

The New England journal of medicine·2003
Same author

Children's medical malapropisms.

The Journal of family practice·2002
Same journal

The Five Essential Concepts of Developmental Medicine: A Medical Paradigm for People with Developmental Disabilities.

Southern medical journal·2026
Same journal

α-Gal Syndrome in the South: Why We Need Treatment Trials, Not Just Tick Prevention.

Southern medical journal·2026
Same journal

Association between Main Pancreatic Duct Size, Comorbidities, and Fistula Formation after Whipple Procedure for Pancreatic Cancer.

Southern medical journal·2026
Same journal

Impact of Temperature Variation on Patients with Acute Severe Asthma.

Southern medical journal·2026
Same journal

Assessing the Accuracy and Reliability of ChatGPT-4 to Answer Clinical EHR Messages in Sports Medicine.

Southern medical journal·2026
Same journal

Diagnostic Utility and Clinical Implications of Inpatient Fecal Occult Blood Testing.

Southern medical journal·2026
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Medical Humanities
  • Psychology
  • Communication Studies

Background:

  • Humor and laughter are frequently discussed in popular media and medical literature.
  • Despite widespread belief in their health benefits, robust scientific validation is currently lacking.
  • Existing research suggests potential roles in specific healthcare contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the existing literature on humor and laughter in healthcare.
  • To identify areas where the impact of humor and laughter is supported by research.
  • To differentiate between anecdotal claims and evidence-based applications.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on humor and laughter in medical contexts.
  • Analysis of research focusing on patient-physician interactions, patient psychological care, and medical education.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of studies investigating stress reduction in healthcare professionals.

    • Main Results:

    • Insufficient evidence exists to support general health benefits of humor and laughter.
    • Research supports the utility of humor in enhancing patient-physician communication.
    • Humor and laughter show promise in psychological patient care, medical education, and stress management for professionals.

    Conclusions:

    • The purported general health benefits of humor require further rigorous scientific investigation.
    • Humor and laughter are valuable tools in specific healthcare applications, particularly communication and stress reduction.
    • Further research should focus on quantifying the effects of humor in clinical settings.