Does Comedy Heal

Do Patch Adams, M.D.'s humorous healing techniques really work? The cable network Comedy Central and scientists at the University of California-Los Angeles hope to find out.

In February, Comedy Central donated a $75,000 research grant to UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center to explore the use of humor in reducing pain and preventing and treating diseases--such as cancer, HIV and others that weaken the immune system--in children and adolescents. The project is being spearheaded by Sherry Dunay Hilber, an entertainment industry executive; Lonnie Zeltzer, M.D., director of the Pediatric Pain Program at UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital; and Margaret Stuber, M.D., a psychiatry professor at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.

The program, dubbed "Rx Laughter," has three parts. First, the researchers plan to determine what healthy children find funny by showing them classic cartoons, comedic TV shows and films. Next, they will measure the kids' heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormone levels and other biological markers as they watch funny clips to see whether laughter has a notable effect on the body. Finally, the scientists will monitor the same responses in ill children to see whether humor affects their immune function. If laughter does provoke a positive response, the researchers hope to use the comedic clips from the study in treatment, especially during painful procedures like blood draws or chemotherapy, to alleviate kids' stress and fear--thus promoting faster healing.

"Rx Laughter" is the latest project to come from "Comedy Rx," the program Comedy central created in 1998 to generate awareness of the healing effects of humor. Says Comedy Central CEO Larry Divney: "We know our programming is entertaining, but to think that comedy is literally good for you is exciting."

--Camille Chatterjee

BODY LANGUAGE
The Nose Knows
Pinocchio's not the only one whose nose grows when telling a falsehood.

The fictional puppet's malady is a bona fide biological response to lying, says Alan Hirsch, M.D., a researcher at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. When people fib, says Hirsch, they often feel guilty about it. This results in a small increase in blood pressure, which boosts blood flow to the erectile tissues in the nose, causing them to stretch and release histamines. This ultimately leads to a slight nasal swelling--and the same nasal itch--that people experience when they have allergies.

So be wary of people's body language during conversation: Unless it's hay fever season, someone scratching their nose may just be pulling your leg.
--Linda Formichelli

Psychology Today, May/Jun 2000Article ID: 238