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Jul 01
2008
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The Laughter RoomPosted by Craig in psychology, laughter, interesting, fascinating, Dr Patch Adams |
In the 1980s, several American hospitals introduced the concept of the 'Laughter Room'. Based on Norman Cousins experiences and other laughter research by Dr Patch Adams.
They allocated a room and filled it with joke books, comedy films and other humorous tapes, and had regular visits from comedians and clowns. Patients were then exposed to 30- to 60-minute sessions each day. The result was impressive. A dramatic improvement in patient health and shorter average hospitalisation time per patient was found. The Laughter Rooms also showed a decrease in the number of painkillers required by those in pain and patients became easier to deal with. So you could say that doctors now take laughter more seriously.


