Yesterday's Keynote

In yesterday’s keynote session, Dr. Stuart Robertshaw (aka Dr. Humor) shared "The Healing Power of Humor." He touched on the toll stress, anxiety and tension can have on the human body, as well as the immunological benefits of laughter and the positive impact humor can have in our personal and professional lives.

Robertshaw began by describing how he became interested in scientific research related to humor, culminating in his founding of the National Association for the Humor Impaired, which now has thousands of lifetime members.

He noted studies that show laughter exercises the lungs and increases oxygen flow to the blood, helps to protect against depression, aids in dealing with daily stresses and can even increase pain tolerance. He also presented the results of studies showing positive effects of humor and laughter on diabetes control and lowering heart attack risk.

He says that actual things that happen to people are funnier than jokes, which he illustrated by reading some real-life anecdotes from his book, Dear Dr. Humor, that had the audience in stitches.

Humor is a gift to be shared, but we are also our own best audience, he said. He recommended that case managers collect things they find funny in a file and not open the file until they really need it. "It will help you keep life in balance," he said.

He ended the presentation by guiding the crowd through a number of laughter exercises.