Seriously considering humor as a therapeutic support for recovery from addiction

Humor interventions can reduce mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety. Largely unexamined is the therapeutic potential of humor to support recovery from addiction, despite the increasing prevalence of narratives in culture and media (stand-up comedy, TV shows) involving recovery and comedy. The therapeutic potential of humor and key therapeutic targets of recovery (i.e., cognitive, reward, and social) may possess a powerful synergy that could garner enjoyment, cognitive flexibility, and meaning during recovery. The goal of this Think Piece is to describe key processes involved in recovery, link these processes to key processes involved in humor, and then describe existing humor interventions that could be adapted for recovery. Key processes include cognitive deficits and bias in addiction and cognitive reframing and cognitive flexibility through humor; the importance of nondrug reward in recovery and the uniquely rewarding properties of humor (like an “aha!” moment); the importance of social connectedness in recovery and the unique social function of humor in camaraderie and belonging. Humor interventions could be adapted for recovery, including humor-coping training to reframe difficult situations, humor induction (e.g., stand-up comedy clips) to uplift mood, the use of humor to boost effects of other treatments (i.e. Contingency Management, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and to enhance engagement with interventions. We conclude with areas of investigation such as understanding heterogeneity in the types of comedy people prefer, disentangling therapeutic and non-therapeutic humor styles, technology-delivered humor interventions, dynamic and context-dependent aspects of humor, and the timing of therapeutic humor during recovery.