If Laughter is the Best Medicine, Let’s Use It as Medicine
The New Science of Humor in Healthcare
By Prof. Frank Chindamo,
Certified Humor Professional
With: Jennifer Kljajic, LCSW, BCD
Comedian Trent Ford,
And Comedy Writer Henry Deckard
How You, Your Doctor,
and Your Healthcare Facility
can Benefit from Humor
Book Summary
We’ve all heard “laughter is the best medicine,” but why is therapeutic humor treated like woo-woo instead of the evidence-based intervention it actually is?
Prof. Frank Chindamo, CHP—former Saturday Night Live writer turned Certified Humor Professional—investigates why modern medicine has ignored one of humanity’s oldest healing tools. Drawing on cutting-edge research, he reveals how laughter reduces cortisol, boosts immunity, and triggers endorphins… all without a copay.
The book shares the “why” laughter works, and who’s using it – from Kevin Hart’s turning of a tragic accident into comedy gold to US military heroes to even the former Pope. We spotlight the comedians like Jon Stewart and John Oliver who advocate for health using humor, and the MDs who use humor in their practice or their blockbuster YouTube channels. We even offer you a “How To” prescription to use humor smartly for yourself, your doctor, and your healthcare institution.
Part manifesto, part memoir, and entirely hilarious, this book shows healthcare to finally take humor seriously. Because we can prove laughter works, so it’s time we prescribe it.
60%
Pain Reduction Through Comedy
(AT Still University Study)
Over 90%
Patients Reported Pain Reduction
(USC Norris Cancer Hospital)
13%
Provider Stress Reduction in 3 Minutes
(Chapman University)
The Science of Humor
Evidence-Based
Backed by rigorous research from USC, Chapman, and AT Still University, proving the physiological benefits of comedic intervention.
Clinical Applications
Real-world strategies for hospitals and medical facilities to integrate humor into daily patient care protocols.
Alternative to Opioids
A natural, side-effect free method for your pain management and stress reduction through humor.
Enter the humor-intervention. If Laughter is the Best Medicine, Let’s Use it as Medicine isn’t a collection of ‘dad jokes’; it’s the definitive field manual for the humor in healthcare revolution. Using the ‘LaughMD’ framework, which lowered:
Stress and pain in over 90% of patients at USC Norris Cancer Hospital,
Provider stress by 13% in just 3 minutes at Chapman University, and
Chronic pain by 60% at AT Still University,
this book breaks down the hard science of the ‘mirth response.’ We’re talking about a curated, comedy-powered methodology that turns patient phones into therapeutic delivery systems.
Get a Taste of the Medicine:
Sample Chapters
Prologue
How Humor Works
