Based on a review of published studies, it appears that humor therapy could potentially reduce symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.
Have you heard of humor therapy? Humor therapy is a therapeutic approach that employs humor to alleviate both physical and emotional pain. An analysis of published studies suggests that humor therapy may lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
The impact of humor therapy on people suffering from depression or anxiety: An integrative literature review
Go to source). For the analysis, which is published in Brain and Behavior, investigators identified 29 relevant studies that included a total of 2,964 participants and were conducted in nine different countries.
‘Most participants reported that humor therapy decreased their symptoms of depression and anxiety, while a few individuals perceived the effect as insignificant.#HumorTherapy #Depression #Anxiety
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Participants had depression or anxiety and included children undergoing surgery or anesthesia; older people in nursing homes; patients with Parkinsons disease, cancer, mental illness, or receiving dialysis; retired women; and college students. Examples of humor therapy included medical clowns and laughter therapy/yoga.Most participants thought humor therapy lessened their depression and anxiety, but some considered the effect to be insignificant. “As a simple and feasible complementary alternative therapy, humor therapy may provide a favorable alternative for clinicians, nurses, and patients in the future,” the authors wrote.
Reference:
- The impact of humor therapy on people suffering from depression or anxiety: An integrative literature review - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37340873/)
Source-Eurekalert