THE comedian Jasper Carrott once observed that the Germans actually had a word for the enjoyment of other people’s misfortunes: schadenfraude.
In Britain, he added, we call it Crimewatch UK.
The rich vein of upset and accident has been long mined by comics and comedy writers, not least in matters of health and hospitals.
I recall watching a Two Ronnies sketch which was a spoof on a government information film about good practice in bandaging hospital patients.
I just about kept control while watching a man who was bandaged so tightly he couldn’t quite lift his cup of tea to his lips. Another patient was bandaged so badly that his arm stuck out.
When he was pushed in wheelchair along a pavement, the protruding arm banged along iron railings like a human xylophone.
I laughed so much that I fell off the sofa and sprained my wrist, thereby receiving my due punishment for laughing at disadvantaged people’s adversities, albeit fictional ones.
But humour can be used for the greater good in health and learning, as will be demonstrated by Liverpool’s Comedy Trust when it hosts an international conference next Monday.
Laughing Matters will debate the use of humour, laughter and comedy in health and learning, as part of the Liverpool Comedy Festival.
Even the romantic poet, Lord Byron, not well -known for his comedic qualities, had an opinion on this matter, saying: “Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”
So how does laughter help? Scientists have long researched the effects of laughter for many years.
According to the boffins, benefits include: the release of endorphins, which give us the “feel good factor”, acting as an aerobic exercise (just like mental or internal jogging), unleashing inhibitions and breaking down barriers.
