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Provocativity is the New Therapy

As a child, the one night of the week my mom would allow me to stay up late was

Saturday. I looked forward to this day every single week, not only just because I felt independent

and grown-up for staying awake past 9:30, but because it meant I got to watch ​Saturday Night

​ ith my family. This show captivated me, not only with its original writing, hilarious
Live w

actors, and brilliant production quality, but especially with its specific type of humor. Satirical in

nature, the show focused on making fun of the things I was taught to never joke about. As the

young kid I was, however, I was more interested in this humor because it was risque and

adultish, and I didn't stop to think about any deeper meanings or underlying benefits to it.

Later, in middle school, to satisfy my burning need for “inappropriate” content that

comes with adolescence, I began watching shows like ​Family Guy ​and ​The Simpsons, ​which are

about ten times as racy as ​SNL. ​These shows would joke about anything, from violence and

stupidity to sexism and racism. Sometimes, when I would bring one of these shows up in

conversation, people would gasp in disbelief that I would watch such an offensive show. “It’s so

problematic!” they would exclaim with such heavy undertones of judgement that I felt

embarrassed and guilty for enjoying these shows. However, the more I watched them, the more I

related to their humor. Traumatic, stressful, or bothersome aspects of my life were often jabbed

at through the comedy in these programs, and I wasn’t offended when this happened. On the

contrary, I felt enlightened, empowered, and supported in my struggles. It put my issues in

perspective and allowed me to feel validated in my feelings and see that I’m not the only one

struggling with these things. Not only this, but having the opportunity to laugh at my own trauma

and struggles was a truly healing experience.

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After these realizations, I saw that the over-the-top style of “offensive” humor present in

these shows and countless other media is not there just to be rude or make people upset. Its

purpose is to satirize the people and institutions that perpetuate the offensive behavior that the

jokes are about in order to bring awareness to these issues in general, and present them in a

negative connotation to their massive amounts of viewers. Because of this epiphany, I became

fascinated with the effect that humor specifically about a certain issue or event can have on those

suffering from those same issues and events. I wondered if the same effects from ​Family Guy’s

broad comedic topics could also apply to more personal issues and specific traumas. I sought out

all kinds of shows, movies, books, and media that use comedy to address traumatic and harmful

parts of life, and found an extremely wide range of different kinds of humor, with subjects of

every sort of trauma imaginable. My personal experience with the therapeutic phenomenon of

consuming this type of media, as well my ability to find seemingly infinite supplies of it in every

possible style and form led me to my research question: How does comedy help people cope

with trauma?

Trauma and tragedy are unavoidable parts of the human experience, and for centuries,

people have searched for ways to counteract the negative emotions arising from trauma.

Historical examples of this are abundant, ranging from Native American ceremonies passing on

the soul of a deceased loved one to the afterworld (Mendoza), to ancient Greek plays that

depicted relatable tragic stories (“The Tragedies”). Looking at the present, our modern world is

no stranger to trauma. Violent crime, natural disasters, war, social injustice, and widespread

poverty are all common in this day and age. Suffering from post-traumatic stress has become

such a universal issue that medical professionals have defined specific risk factors and symptoms

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associated with trauma. The Delta Medical Center of Memphis, Tennessee, for example, names

“Depression, anxiety… irritability… fatigue…” and “self-harming behaviors” as possible

symptoms of trauma (“Trauma Signs”). Not only are modern people suffering more from

isolated traumatic incidents, but chronic trauma in the form of mental illness is also more

copious than ever. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, “Approximately 1 in 5

adults in the U.S… experience mental illness in a given year,” (“Mental Health”) With so many

people suffering negative effects from both tangible instances of trauma, as well as long-term

trauma stemming from mental illness, the need for healthy and effective coping mechanisms is

dire.

Using humor as healing is not a new idea, as examples and references of using comedy as

a coping tool can be seen in ancient civilizations, and even the Bible (Jaafe). However, the use of

comedy in coping with serious trauma has become increasingly controversial and discredited in

contemporary society, as many view this form of healing as offensive or superficial. Despite this,

comedy is a versatile, effective, and even enjoyable way for modern people to cope with the

substantial levels of trauma that they are suffering from.

After experiencing a specific traumatic event, comedy can speed up the process of

distancing oneself from the painful subject at hand. Any kind of traumatic experience is

ultimately healed by achieving distance from the event. This distance naturally comes with the

passage of time. In fact, a certain amount of time must pass even before a typical victim feels

able to laugh at his or her own pain. For example, after the September 11 attacks on the United

States, many Americans did not engage in humor at all for several days after the event. It simply

didn’t feel right as people still felt very close to the occurrence. However, according to Patty

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Wooten RN, and Ed Dunkelblau, PhD, of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor,

in the situation of 9/11, “the need for the [comedic] release was evident,” (Wooten).

Once people climbed out of the unavoidable initial period of pure grief, they both

responded positively to jokes of others, and even made their own jokes about the event. Bryan

Rucker, a comedy writer in Los Angeles was attending college in New York when 9/11

happened. He recalls in an interview, “one of the ways we coped was through dark humor and

laughing at the situation when we could.” Rucker also noted that it was easy to justify this use of

humor that some may have viewed as offensive: “we were confident that everyone around us

wasn’t making light of the situation or being glib because we witnessed it first hand.” Countless

Americans shared this mindset, as much of the humor that surrounded 9/11 directly addressed

the fears of ordinary citizens: “One cartoon showed a psychiatrist administering the Rorschach

test. He held up a card with a drawing of an airplane. ‘What is the first thing you think of when

you see this?’asked the psychiatrist. ‘Go Amtrak,’ replied the patient,” (Wooten). As was the

case for 9/11, and rings true in nearly every instance of trauma, “Humor allows us to detach

from the trauma for a few moments and gives respite from the emotional chaos,” (Wooten).

These instances of detachment that come from comedy surrounding the traumatic subject

represent a huge step forward in the healing process. They allow the victim to momentarily

escape from their mental torment, healthily discuss and address their suffering with themselves

and others, and feel more in control of their pain.

Another critical asset of comedy when it is used as a coping mechanism for trauma is its

ability to foster a feeling of superiority of the victim over the traumatic situation. This concept

represents an entire theory of the nature of humor, not surprisingly called “The Superiority

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Theory” which is described by Stanford University’s Encyclopedia of Philosophy: “Simply put,

our laughter expresses feelings of superiority over other people or over a former state of

ourselves,” (Philosophy). These feelings of superiority can act as an aid for a victim in healing

from their pain, often in the form of empowerment and pride. Victims of trauma often experience

feelings of self-blame, guilt, shame, and self-deprecation after the event (“Trauma Signs”). These

emotions accentuate other typical symptoms of trauma, such as depression, anxiety, and anger,

and even cause victims to believe that they aren’t worth healing, and they don’t deserve to feel

better. These unrelenting and dangerous emotions of inferiority associated with trauma can be

counteracted with the use of humor. A particular case study of this phenomenon can be seen in

comedian Tig Notaro, who, in the course of just four months, ended a serious relationship, lost

her mother, suffered from pneumonia, and received a breast cancer diagnosis. After she

underwent a double mastectomy, she removed her shirt to expose her scars as a bit during one of

her comedy shows. When prompted to explain her actions in an interview, Notaro states, “I

wanted it it be funny. I didn't want it to just be this intense or poignant moment. I wanted it to be

funny,” (Gross). When the interviewer asked her: “Did you feel like once you took your shirt off

in front of an audience and they gave you a kind of positive response to that that you had nothing

to feel embarrassed or ashamed about anymore or uncomfortable about?” Notaro simply

responds with: “Yeah,” (Gross). For Notaro, feelings of empowerment, acceptance, and

superiority over the trauma and shame of her cancer and surgery were achieved through the use

of comedy. As she and countless other examples illustrate, comedy is a real and effective way to

overcome feelings of inferiority that are associated with trauma.

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In the same vein, humor can also be effective in facilitating a change in perspective of the

victim, allowing them to view the trauma as less threatening. According to Thomas Ford of

Western Carolina University, “‘Having a good laugh is sort of inconsistent or incompatible with

anxiety or fear,’” (Jaffe). The seemingly never-ending spiral of depression, anxiety, fear, and

inhibition that typically follows a traumatic experience often traps victims and makes it difficult

for them to find a way out and begin the healing process. However, as Arnie Cann of the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte puts it, “you can use humor to change your perspective

on things, to see something that is potentially threatening as less threatening,” (Jaffe).

Experiencing humor about the traumatic event forces sufferers to, at least momentarily, abandon

feelings of anxiety surrounding the trauma, and replace those feelings with a catharsis of joy,

carelessness, and laughter. For some victims, this may be the first time they are able to break out

of their cage of negative emotions and truly gain a clearer perspective on the matter. This can be

an important push in the right direction for those suffering, as it allows victims to “recognize that

[the trauma or stress] may have a hidden benefit or may not be as bad as it first appeared,” as Art

Markman, PhD, of Psychology Today states. Changes in perspective can be very powerful for

victims of trauma, and the ability to see their painful thoughts as less threatening, and more

controlled, empowering, and, of course, funny, provides an effective and healthy coping

mechanism that eventually leads victims down a clearer path to acceptance.

Perhaps a more rudimentary side of using humor as healing is its ability to connect

people, and remind them that they are not alone in their suffering. Heather Clague, MD, a

psychiatrist and the leader of “Berkeley Improv”, an improv comedy group in Berkeley,

California, describes one of the main purposes of humor in general as “a way humans connect

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with each other.” Human connection is a vital necessity in the healing process, and because

humor naturally provides a sense of community, it can be extremely effective when used in a

healing context. Clague also says that “laughing with people and taking risks with people is very

bonding.” In her improv classes, Clague reports seeing countless instances of connection when

people are given “permission” to joke about their pain. People are able to feel their suffering

together, laugh about it together, and heal together in a comedic setting. Many times, traumatic

experiences are seen as too taboo to openly talk about, and humor gives victims a way to address

their trauma in a public setting and receive validation in their feelings when they see others

relating to their trauma.

Numerous groups and organizations have already caught on to this trend, and have reaped

the benefits from using comedy as human connection. Peter McGraw, PhD, chronicles the annual

Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor Conference: “This year, social workers and

nurses, educators and therapists, improv performers and motivational speakers from all over the

world gathered together in Chicago from Apr. 19-22 to learn how ​trauma​ and tragedy could be

infused with humor” (McGraw). The effects of this event on its participants are monumental.

One woman who utilized humor to cope with her cancer diagnosis, Saranne Rothberg, gushes,

“Comedy saved my life,” (McGraw). Due to her success from using comedy as a healing tool,

she was inspired to start “ComedyCures”, an organization for therapeutic comedy, in order to

bring the healing powers of humor to others suffering from trauma (McGraw). Therefore,

comedy provides a connective experience that not only boosts its healing powers, but also

encourages people to share this coping strategy with others, further emphasizing its power of

community and healing in a never-ending cycle of empathy.

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Comedy is also highly effective in helping sufferers of mental disorders cope with their

illness. Mark Gelkopf of the National Center for Biotechnology Information notes that

non-psychotic mental illnesses, like depression and anxiety, exhibit similar symptoms to

post-traumatic stress, including persistent anxious thoughts and emotional numbness.

Incorporating humor and laughter into typical therapy sessions for those suffering from these

illnesses can “reduce excessive anxiety and facilitate the expression of emotions” (Gelkopf). The

minimization of the negative emotions associated with the mental illness allows patients to more

easily manage their symptoms on a consistent basis, which follows the idea of Babette

Rothschild, a therapist and author​,​ that “The first goal of recovery should and must be to improve

[the patient’s] quality of life on a daily basis,” (Rothschild 43).

Furthermore, mental health patients are often used to, and tired of, constantly undergoing

therapy and medical intervention for their illnesses. According to Heather Clague, they often feel

like “professional patients”, and long to have parts of their life that aren’t revolving around their

disorder. Using humor to heal is a non-conventional form of coping, and therefore doesn’t have

the word “therapy” slapped on after it. The simple mindset shift that the absence of the

awareness of being treated can provide for mental illness sufferers can greatly increase their

confidence and feelings of independence, which in turn allows them to be more receptive to all

forms of therapy and healing.

Looking beyond the patients, mental health professionals often experience stress and

emotional turmoil after “frustrating sessions… and difficult-to-treat chronic patients” (Gelkopf).

Working with patients suffering from serious mental illness on a daily basis can negatively affect

one’s emotions and mental stamina. General medical staff are also often exposed to stressful and

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tragic situations. Positive benefits can be seen among medical workers and mental health staff

who use humor among themselves to cope with the stresses of their jobs. Many medical and

mental health professionals truly rely on comedy to get through the day. Arnie Cann reports that,

after training with emergency medical workers, “Humor was, in their view, essential to their

survival and their occupation” (Jaffe).

Finally, the more physical aspect of humor is the visceral response of laughter. The act of

laughing has tremendous physiological benefits that can improve a person’s ability to cope with

their trauma. Experiencing psychological post-traumatic stress causes the body to react with

physical symptoms, most notably within the sympathetic nervous system, which, according to

Elaine N. Marieb in her textbook ​The Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology, “​ is working

at full speed not only when you are emotionally upset, but when you are physically stressed…

your adrenal glands would be pumping out epinephrine and norepinephrine” (Marieb 261). The

physical stress that these hormones force the body under is exhausting and perpetuates mental

turmoil, especially when sufferers of trauma have to deal with these effects practically every

time they think about their trauma. Despite the intensity of these bodily reactions, laughter is a

healthy and effective way to curb them. For example, Asa Don Brown of the Canadian

Counselling and Psychotherapy Association reports that “Laughter reduces the level of stress

hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also

increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters”

(Brown). Therefore, the act of laughing speeds up the process of removing stress-inducing

hormones from the blood, which allows the body to release physical stress faster, providing

effective and tangible stress-relief to the victim.

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Perhaps most importantly, the physiological benefits of laughter are objective. As

previously described, there are countless effects of comedy on a trauma victim that may work

differently for each person, but just as humor can be considered a form of therapy for trauma

victims, laughter can be considered the related form of medication. Its physiological effects are

scientifically proven, and as J. Wilkins reiterates in an article from the National Institute of

Health, “these physiological benefits occur regardless of the theory that is used to explain the

humor function,” (Wilkins). Therefore, even if the humor itself is unrelated to the trauma or

doesn’t strike a deep healing response in the victim, the inevitable reflex of laughter is sure to

offer relief.

All types of people from all over the world suffer traumatic events, and experience

negative psychological and physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress. However, if there’s

anything that is more prevalent in our modern world than tragedy, it’s comedy. Humor echoes in

every chamber of our society in the form of countless media: film, television, live performance,

art, literature, casual conversation, the list goes on and on. For centuries, comedy has been

proven to have incredibly beneficial psychological effects on those suffering from trauma and

mental illness, and the undeniable physiological healing powers of laughter make comedy as a

healing mechanism all the more powerful. Many sufferers of trauma feel trapped, unable to ask

for, or sometimes afford help. Comedy is an easy-to-come-by tool to help these victims

overcome their fears and solitude enough to begin the healing process. Comedy is not merely a

superficial category of entertainment, but for many, it is a bright light shining the way out of a

dark and puzzling tunnel.

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Works Cited

Brown, Asa Don. “The Benefits of Laughter.” ​Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy

Association, 2​ Sep. 2011.

​https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/the-benefits-of-laughter/​. ​Accessed 28 Feb 2019.

Cassidy, Meryl. “That Funny Thing About Adversity: The Ironic Connection Between Comedy

and Tragedy.” ​Response Crisis Center, 8​ June 2017,

https://www.responsecrisiscenter.org​/blog/That-Funny-Thing-About-Adversity

Clague, Heather. Personal interview. 22 Feb. 2019.

Gelkopf, Mark. “The Use of Humor in Serious Mental Illness: A Review.” ​National Center for

Biotechnology Information, 3​ Jan. 2011,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135316/​. Accessed 5 Feb 2019.

Gross, Terry. “Comic Tig Notaro Wants You To Know She’s ‘Happy To Be Here’.” ​NPR, 1​ 6

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Jaffe, Eric. “Awfully Funny.” ​Association for Psychological Science, M

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Education, 2006. Print.

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Markman, Art. “Humor Sometimes Makes Stressful Situations Better.” ​Psychology Today, 2​ 1

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McGraw, Peter. “Meet the People Who Use Humor to Heal.” ​Psychology Today, 1​ 1 June 2012,

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Mendoza, Marilyn A. “Death and Bereavement Among the Lakota.” ​Psychology Today, ​7 Oct.

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“Mental Health By the Numbers.” ​National Alliance on Mental Illness, ​NAMI, 2018,

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Rothschild, Babette. ​8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery: Take Charge Strategies for Reclaiming

Your Life. ​New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2010. Print.

Rucker, Bryan. Personal interview. 10 Mar. 2019.

“The Tragedies and Comedies of Ancient Greek Theatre.” ​USC Marshall School of Business,

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