The Power of Humor in Healthcare
Joking and laughing does a lot more than just lighten the mood
By the end of my first trimester, all the nurses at the local emergency room knew my name. Thanks to a four-month bout of hyperemesis gravidarum — basically, intense and frequent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy — I had wound up at the hospital for fluids about once a week for a whole summer. I definitely didn’t feel like having fun, but I did want to feel less alone (and, admittedly, to woo the person responsible for stopping my vomiting). Making a joke felt like a reflex.
“I should just rent a room here,” I told the kind-eyed RN as she struggled to find a vein for the IV. She looked up from my arm, chuckled, and quipped back a joke about how insurance probably wouldn’t cover that lengthy of a stay. Before I knew it, the IV was in. Maybe it was the cold saline, but something about that exchange brought me back to myself, reminding me that even in the trenches of a really tough situation, it was possible to connect — and maybe even to feel a bit better.
If you’ve ever erupted into giggles simply because someone was laughing, you know laughter isn’t just evidence of joy; it can also be a catalyst to a good mood. But a healthy dose of wit doesn’t just lift spirits. Science suggests that certain kinds of humor — from both healthcare…
