ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2023
Do Clowns Really Taste Funny? An Investigation of the Relationship between Humor and Playfulness in Clown Doctors.
Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Comparative Assessment of Three Different Behavior Modification Techniques Using Physiological and Psychological Parameters: AnInternational journal of clinical pediatric dentistry · 2026Article
- Jesters of Well-Being: Examining the Relationship between Clown Doctors and Patients.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Medical assistants' comic styles and their potential for positive functioning at work: a cross-sectional study including a subgroup analysis.BMC primary care · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Healthcare clowning represents a well-established method for relieving patients and their relatives of discomfort during hospitalization. Although studies concerning the effectiveness of this approach are increasing in number, state-of-the-art studies conducted to evaluate the psychological characteristics of clown doctors are scarce. In this cross-sectional study, a convenient sample of 210 clown doctors (143 females, 67 males) aged between 18 and 75 years (M = 47.34, SD = 12.31) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Comic Styles Markers, and the Short Measure for Adult Playfulness. The results demonstrated that clown doctors bring higher levels of fun, benevolent humor, and nonsense and a lower level of cynicism compared to the populace. Moreover, the participants with more experience tend to use less irony, sarcasm, and cynicism than those with less experience. Playfulness was primarily related to the lighter styles of humor, and specific differences between the Whiteface and the Auguste clown doctors were observed. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies conducted on groups of clown doctors.
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