Abstract
The evolution and purpose of humor have long been of interest to the scientific community. Humor and laughter play an important role in social, emotional, mental, and physical health and well-being. The purpose of this narrative review is to explore perspectives and research findings of studies on the role of humor and laughter in health promotion and direct care interventions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Also discussed is the cross-disciplinary context of studies during the global pandemic, which illustrates the complexity of humor in human behavior and its manifestation in healthcare environments and public health outcomes. This review of studies on humor and laughter behaviors employed during the COVID-19 pandemic points to the need for further work on the potential of humor and laughter for use in direct care interventions, health messaging, health education, and in improving the social bonds and connections among health professionals, patients, and students.The evolution and purpose of humor have long been of interest to the scientific community. Humor and laughter play an important role in social, emotional, mental, and physical health and well-being. The purpose of this narrative review is to explore perspectives and research findings of studies on the role of humor and laughter in health promotion and direct care interventions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Also discussed is the cross-disciplinary context of studies during the global pandemic, which illustrates the complexity of humor in human behavior and its manifestation in healthcare environments and public health outcomes. This review of studies on humor and laughter behaviors employed during the COVID-19 pandemic points to the need for further work on the potential of humor and laughter for use in direct care interventions, health messaging, health education, and in improving the social bonds and connections among health professionals, patients, and students.