The Role of Comedy in Mental Health
Course Introduction
The role of watching comedy and its effect on our body and brain is well documented, the release of endorphins provides the body with a hit of dopamine, its effects enable us to feel good, want to reach out more and helps us feel closer to each other and the subjects being spoken about on stage.
The role of Stand-up Comedy coaching however makes this process one of longer lasting feelings of investment and control, the connection of comedy and our real-world experience makes thing personal and the sustained analysis of a lives for comedic purposes helps our trauma to be more manageable as the story becomes one of validation and redemption rather than an unpleasant experience.
Comedy on prescription has shown to be an effective method to get people to open up about their mental health and therefore encourages people to seek support. Comedy has also proven to reduce the stigma and shame surrounding postnatal depression and birth trauma, (Jones 2014, Modifying attitudes to mental health using comedy as a delivery medium). The watching of comedy as also well documented to help serving military and ex servicemen in a sense, there is a community built around that which is funny, “The necessary stimulus for laughter is not a joke, but another person, the joke is only a catalyst while the fuel for laughter is the laughter from those around you. There’s an implicit connection between a joke teller, an individual listener, and the audience as a whole” Dr. Robert Provine, (neuroscientist and laugh expert).
Research shows that laughter reduces cortisol levels, the body’s main stress hormone, and raises the production of endorphins, which boosts feelings of happiness and reduces pain and stress. Laughter can also strengthen the immune system.
Comedy, and its siblings of joy and play have a need place in the experience of humanity and is a basic need of people to process struggle and trauma. Psychoanalysts such as William Glasser place it within his list of needs and while recognising that not everyone needs comedy to the same degree, everyone has some need for fun and connection in their life.
How does this course improve people’s wellbeing?
Course Benefits
People will learn lots of tips and tricks for nervousness and self-power. There are group games, and the participants are given lots of motivation to promote and share their stories with others so they can become a new confident version of themselves. Previous participants have said it’s “The Ultimate team building activity”.
The course has gentle physical warmups designed to improve the connection between brain and body and the participants are shown how to listen to their body. We also have physical games to improve people’s readiness for learning and help them focus better.
The course asks people to write about the world that surrounds them, from the everyday minutia to the political spectrum they are existing in. Writing stand-up comedy is about analysing our relationships with others and creating a performance which connects with an audience. The understanding of human connection is key to writing relatable material.
Participants will feel empowered to try out their new skills as well as feeling resilient in their future selves as they understand more about humanity and connection through comedy.
Public speaking is on most people’s bucket list of things they would like to try and the course process also improves important transferable skills for job Interviews, presentation skills and effective networking. Tasks are set for the learners to slowly introduce them to writing their first 5 minutes of comedy. The participants also receive personalised feedback from Angie so they can improve their skills.
The group functions as an audience for each other and they are encouraged to support and add ideas to improve their peers writing and performance. The participants are also encouraged to practise their newly found comedy sets in the community. One of the models also encourages people to find their “Inner Comedian” which is the practice of serving your community through comedy.
The Process
The course will take people through the steps needed to create a 5-minute comedy set. This includes:
- The exploration of their stand-up comedy persona and how it relates to your real self.
- The understanding of how to use a situation, thought or belief as a starting block for writing comedy.
- How to engineer situations to create funnier anecdotes.
- How to use comedic devices to make your stories funny.
- How to use your body, voice and breath to bring your story to an audience
- How to use their new-found confidence and skills to perform, using techniques to use and counteract nerves and anxiety.
- How to use a microphone and stage to create connection with an audience.
- How to use your inner comedian to improve wellbeing and resilience in your life.
The Format
Comedy On Referral is a 10-week course to give you the tools, confidence and support to write and perform stand-up comedy about your life.
This course is an opportunity to connect with other people though the creative act of writing and performing. You’ll get to learn how to write using comedic devices, how to use storytelling theories to create great content, and how to use your body, voice and breathe to perform like a stand-up. You get to control the narrative of your previous encounters and bring about a new version using comedy.
Participants will learn:
- How to identify and deploy your comedic persona.
- How to engage and entertain an audience with your material.
- How to turn serious life events into funny content.
- How to analyse and hone comedic sets.
- How to cope with nerves when speaking publicly.
- How to engage the “Political” in your comedy to make comedy sets that have gravitas and meaning.
- How to use your vulnerability to your own advantage and create powerful stories.
- How to create inspirational comedy which helps people.
The course will be run with utmost care and respect, ensuring peoples personal stories are given space to find the funny within them.
Everyone’s story is valid, and Angie will help you to polish your ideas to make them the best they can be. Angie will gently help you to discover your comedic self by using theories, models and games. She will help you to improvise and analyse different types of stories to help you connect with your own. Each session will include games and exercises to find out about your comedic communication style.
The group will also get to understand and empathise with each other’s experiences through feedback models and reviews.
The course will also look at how put more comedy into your life. You’ll learn how comedians help make your experiences more joyful, trusting and fun. Participants will learn about how you can bring your own “Inner Comedian” to future interactions to make your life more enjoyable and your mental health more resilient.
The Future
This course can help you in your future endeavours, even if you don’t want to pursue a career in comedy.
Formal Skills
The course will teach you:
- How to get ideas from your personal life.
- How to write comedically.
- How to structure remarkable stories.
- How to perform on a stage, engage an audience and use a mic.
- How to put more comedy into your interactions.
- How to remember lines.
- How to use your body voice and breathe to inspire and empower an audience.
Transferable Skills
Learning how to write and perform comedy can also help you in your career and personal life.
The course will improve your skills in:
- Writing and performing presentations.
- Explaining to others who you are and what you do.
- Networking both formally and informally.
- How to use your inner comedian to create fulfilling and fun opportunities for connection with others.
- How to feel more confident in your thoughts and feelings.