Laughter as Therapy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

1-Aside from improving our moods, laughter can reduce stress, help fight infection, and reduce pain.

"Successively, Selekman explains that fostering therapist-client cooperation is purposive use of self-disclosure, the use of humor, normalizing, demonstrating cultural and gender sensitivity, and therapeutic compliments. Mark Twain once said, 'Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.' Humor can help generate a relaxed atmosphere, influence the client from his or her concerns, and heal those in pain. Madanes (1984) contend that what makes change possible is the therapist's ability to be confident and to see what is funny or desirable in a dire situation'. Laughter releases hormones from the

Norman Cousins said, “Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions" (Moss 1). Humor is studied by many researchers in sociology, psychology, art, literature, and medicine. When people wonder whether humor aids in areas other than health, a treasure trove of possible benefits to the learning or educational community is opened up. Humor can be used as a tool to promote learning.Research speaks to the many benefits of humor in healing, to its benefits in the classroom or boardroom, from reducing stress of students or employees, to boosting self-esteem and feelings of camaraderie. Additionally, studies show that those who use humor to convey a message are often more favorably perceived. Humor helps deliver the presenter's message to

Laughter makes the patients feel good, and, specifically, Bromden feels good and begins to remember other things that made him feel good (Tanner 4). McMurphy’s power in laughter is intensified by Nurse Ratched’s lack of laughter. McMurphy’s laughter and humor are genuine while Nurse Ratched’s humor is forced and smiles are chiseled like in plastic (Wallace 3, 5). Power enables McMurphy to make changes on the ward and to survive in the institution. His sanity compared to the other patients, his manipulations, and his ability to laugh give him the power. He, in turn, gives patients a sense of power by teaching them to laugh at themselves, Nurse Ratched, and the world (Magill 1533).

After leaving the hellish work farm where he serving his prison sentence, McMurphy arrives at the ward, which is exponentially more dull and drab in comparison. The impact of his arrival at the ward is seen instantly. The enthusiasm and energy he brings to the ward is so uncharacteristic, that even some of the Chronics, who are longstanding patients that have become “machines with flaws inside that can’t be repaired,” show some life (Kesey 10). In his typical westernized fashion, McMurphy arrives at the hospital with the aura of “a frontier

laughter can free a man who is under the control of an unjust authority. Through the

This comment suddenly makes her family burst into laughter. Even her mother started laughing; even if it was only for a moment she helped her mom forget about the pain through laughter. Another example of laughter helping the human spirit triumph would be in “The book of thief.” Liesel and her foster parents have been hiding a Jewish man, Max Vandenburg, in their basement. Usually they worry and are nervous about the Nazi’s finding out.

Laughter also proves a vital role in helping the patients deal with their problems. Not only does it help them deal with problems but it also gave them the push toward progress on getting out of the institution.

Humor is a very important tool that medical assistants use to help relieve an anxious patient. The way the medical assistant treats a patient affects the patient in every way. In some cases, a patient feels more comfortable talking to the

In Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy portrays a messiah figure on the ward and towards the patients. A messiah is a leader or saviour of a specific group or cause. In the novel, McMurphy’s cause is to break the fundamentals of the ward and break down nurse Ratched’s control on the ward and the patients as well. McMurphy also helps gain the patient’s self-awareness back by using the power of laughter to show that he holds power against the ward and as an act of defiance. McMurphy is loud and rambunctious and has been a leader right when he walks in through the door of the asylum. He starts to connect with the patients and rebel against ward policies. The patients look up to him for his rebellious ways and how he understands

In Ken Kesy’s One Flew over the Cuckoo 's Nest, humor is present in a very powerful form. Normally, insane people don’t have the capacity to laugh or find the humor in something as would "normal" people do. They live tragic existences, wandering day by day in the bland, depressing world of an asylum. They have forgotten how to live because they are under the commanding rule of the head nurse, and under the behavioral influence of drug doses and bossy orderlies. The patients’ laughter is a therapeutic form. In the novel laughter represents freedom and an escape from nurse Ratched’s restrictions.

From sorrow. From stress. No matter the magnitude of any situation, laughter will always heal an individual to an extent. The concept that causes laughter is humor: something that an individual that finds amusing or comic. What is unique about humor is that no one individual has the exact sense of humor as another individual.

Members of laughter clubs become conditioned to be joyful through the bodily experience of doing laughter yoga. Clapping in rhythm, chanting “ho ho ha ha” in unison, and positive affirmations like very good, very good, yay! are few

Van Wormer, K., and M. Boes. "HUMOR IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM: A Social Work Perspective." Welcome! Web. 23 Sept. 2011. .

The happy, easygoing nature that McMurphy carries incites immediate change in the boys’ attitude towards Nurse Ratched. His singing and laughing shocks the others to show that such behavior is not encouraged in the ward. His laughter is described as “free and loud it comes out of his wide grinning mouth and spreads in rings bigger and bigger till its lapping against the walls” (12). This juxtaposition between the Chief’s influence as compared the the Nurse’s ability to fill up the room automatically shines a bright light on him. As none of the people had heard laughter in so long, it took time to place it as they were shocked and :stunned dumb” (12.) The diction used reveals how Bromden is treated; in the ward, they are confined from happiness and loud sounds because in their situation, there is not much to be happy about and a loud sound is typically associated with a disturbance that yields a punishment. McMurphy is also the first to vocalize the derogatory methods of their therapy group, breaking Harding out of his trance, starting to bring awareness to the others. He uses an analogy of “a peckin’ party can wipe out an entire flock in a matter of a few hours” (57). This describes how during their therapy sessions, one instigation starts a cascade of admittance to bad deeds, reinforcing the Nurse’s power to torture them. Following the collective realization that Nurse Ratched’s methods were demeaning, there followed “a whine of fear over the silence” that persisted because