What role does humor play in health care?

July 14, 2020

(AMA) Humor can help release nervous tension, express feelings of superiority and reveal struggles to assimilate something unexpected. Studying when and why things are funny is part of value theory called aesthetics. Similar to ethics, aesthetics helps individuals interrogate what they value and what is worth the risk to get a benefit from humor. However, while some think there is a lot to joke about, some think there is nothing funny about illness and injury. This makes it imperative that physicians and other health professionals understand humor’s role in health care.