Laughter may be the best medicine, but only if we titrate it to effect

8 ways to moderate humor to improve patient connection and care, and avoid taking it too far

It’s a common phrase, that laughter is the best medicine, and EMS providers are well known for making it integral to prehospital care. 

In the right context, laughter does provide evidence-based health benefits. It’s been the subject of medical consideration for centuries, formal research for over 60 years and even cited as a cure for the famed Norman Cousins case during the 1960s [1-3].

Long-term physical and mental health gains for patients and paramedics are innumerable. With a focus on its more immediate, short-term benefits, it comes as no surprise that we are heavily reliant on humor within the emergency medicine environment.

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