Humor and sympathy in medical practice

Abstract

Medical professionals seem to interpret their uses of humor very differently from those outside the medical profession. Nurses and physicians argue that humor is necessary for them to do their jobs well. Many (potential) patients are horrified that they could one day be the butt of their physician's jokes. The purpose of this paper is to encourage the respectful use of humor in clinical prac-tice, so as to support its importance in medical practice, while simultaneously protecting against its potential abuse. I begin by examining two extremes of supporting or chastising the use of medical humor. I look at these views through the lenses of popular theories of humor to help explain their theoretical bases. In this second section, I explain the emotional aspect of humor as an embodied and embedded transformation of the world. This clarifies the role that humor plays in our daily lives, as well as why the ethical or unethical nature of its use is dependent on context. Third, I address the potential problems in the relationship between humor and clinical sympathy, and how this further affects the relationship between medical professionals and their patients. I conclude by arguing that humor can conflict with clinical sympathy, but this need not be the case. If medical professionals actively engage with clinical sympathy and focus on using humor in a way that is respectful towards their patients, then humor can continue to be a positive force in their lives while still providing the best care for their patients.

Healing Humor: The Use of Humor in the Nurse-Patient Relationship

“…This is particularly important given that the indicators of health disease im- up about their life and care needs and for the caregiver to easily pass on information and perform tasks. In the field of palliative care, humor was viewed to be a valuable and successful way in handling emotional burden [1].…”

“…To further understand humor, we have to dig deep into its How to cite this paper: Chelly, F., Kacem, I., Moussa, A., Ghenim, A., Krifa, I., Methamem, F., Chouachane, A., Aloui, A., Brahem, A., Kalboussi phenomenology. Indeed, it consists of four important aspects humorous transformation of the world, intentional relationship between body and world, embedded in a social and historical context and humor and free will [1].…”

“…In health care in 1905, Freud [3] described humour as one of the strongest defence mechanisms and one which enables an individual to face problems and avoid negative emotions which are constantly used in the medical field. Also, it is often used among nurses to help them cope well and resist burnout as they must deal with death on a daily basis which is considered as a supremely oppressive force [1].…”

“…On the other hand, humor cannot be controlled, to find something funny happens in an instant it's like all emotions in that humor exists below the level of the will, when we find something funny, our perceptions of the world can already be transformed before we become aware of our humor [1].…”

Motivations and Personal Traits Can Predict Self-Efficacy of the Clown Therapist: A Descriptive Study

“…The literature on humor in hospital wards at different age levels shows that not only do patients and medical staff benefit from humor, but interactions involving humor between hospital staff and patients foster an atmosphere in which laughter and humor are self-perpetuating [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Other investigations report that humor has beneficial effects on stress related to terminal illness [ 20 ], pain tolerance [ 21 ], and cognitive functions, such as memory and anxiety [ 22 , 23 , 24 ].…”