In the past two days at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, there has been much talk about different ways to build empathy and create an emotional connection with patients and families.
Our colleague from the HAVAS network, Mauro Arruda, focussed on an aspect that is often overlooked in healthcare communications: using humour and laughter to build empathy and create connections. After all, how can we talk about humour, when the diseases are serious and people are suffering?
Mario explained it does not have to be this way. As babies, we communicate by laughter even before we are able to speak; as adults we form social bonds through sharing a laugh with others. We are all hardwired to laugh. We laugh at people’s misfortunes; we laugh when things seem to be out of place; we laugh to release tension. So, is there a way that we can use of laughter in healthcare?
Wellington Nogueira is the person that may have an answer. He is the indisputable practitioner of ‘Castigat ridento mores’: the best way to change things is to point to the absurdity of them and laugh. His simple idea was to become a ‘clown doctor’ in paediatric hospitals at Sao Paulo in Brazil with one aim in mind: to connect with the children’s healthy self though the dramatic art of clowning.
Using the audience to demonstrate some of the tricks available in his ‘clown doctor’ bag, he described how he works with the children, invites them to co-create a scene and, during the process, witnesses their transformation from passive patients to active individuals who want to take charge of their own life.
Even if humour is not for anyone, Mauro and Wellington reminded us that – if done responsibly – laughter can be the best medicine, and encouraged us not to be afraid to make ourselves available to the funny encounter.