HUMOR THERAPY

Humor therapy may be used to treat anxiety, depression, and other saddened states. It improves one’s overall well-being by relieving pains and stressors from one’s life.

Humor therapy is a group discussion that uses laughable materials such as comedy movies or shows, books, cartoons and more This can encourage people to laugh. The participants in the group are also encouraged to share their own comical experience and highlight the funny things around them. While doing this, the therapist is observing it.

Humor therapy can be a big help in forgetting our worries and giving us positive thoughts.

TYPES

Types of laughter may include the following:

  • Etiquette laughter: People depend on laughter to get together with other people. We tend to laugh at things that are not really funny at all.
  • Contagious laughter: If someone tells a joke and one person laughs at it, the laughing passes on the second person and another one and so on. Contagious laughter means people laugh not only in the joke but in the laughing itself.
  • Nervous laughter: Also known as fake laughter. In times of anxiety, sometimes we unconsciously try to lessen stress and calm down. However, this type of laughing can cause awkwardness in a situation.
  • Belly laughter: To experience it, you need to find something truly hilarious before we’ll let go with the kind of laughter that we see as we clutch our bellies and gasp for air. This is considered as the most honest type of laughter and may also be the hardest to experience.
  • Silent laughing: if you are in a library, church or office, this laughter is very useful. Also, this kind of laughter is used for yoga and laughter therapy. Silent laughing is also known as joker’s laughing.
  • Stress-relieving laughter: This kind of laughter comes in many forms. But it’s often found in an outburst, the same as belly laughing
  • Pigeon Laughter: In pigeon laughter, you are laughing while keeping your lips shut. This type of laughter produces a humming sound which is similar to that of the sound of a pigeon. Pigeon laughing is often used in laughter therapy or laughter yoga.
  • Snorting laughter: In this type of laughing, you are laughing through the nose by blowing air out or sucking it in. Roughly 25% of women and 33% of men laugh through their noses.
  • Canned laughter: Canned laughter is like a sound effect to a program or movie that helps people find the humorous part in a show. Canned laughter is real; it just happens to be laughter taken completely out of context and placed in another.
  • Cruel laughter: Laughing at someone else’ troubles.

TREATMENT

Humor therapy is for everyone. This therapy is usually used as a treatment for long term (chronic) disease, especially in those who have heart disease and asthma. Chronic diseases have effects on mood and attitude; these further cause the disease to become worse. Humor therapy helps reduce stress and unhappiness, as well as negative thoughts that are very common in those with cancer.

Humor therapy may also be applicable to caregivers. Caregivers can also use humor therapy in their patients. They are the ones who take care of people with chronic diseases. Humor therapy helps lessen stress. Caregivers and those they care for can practice this kind of therapy together to have a happier and healthier life.

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