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Monash.edu

Laughter may very well be the best medicine for a healthy life, according to research released today.

Published online in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, A systematic review of humour-based strategies for addressing public health priorities, found that humour interventions could be effective to influence people’s behaviour and intentions around their health.

Uniquely, the research was conducted by Scottish comedian and women’s health physiotherapist Elaine Miller, Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, in collaboration with a team of Monash University researchers led by Monash Warwick Alliance Professor Helen Skouteris.

The study highlighted a number of factors that could impact the effectiveness of a humor-based message, including the level and type of fear or perceived threat, the ‘taboo’ nature of the topic, and an individual’s taste in humor.