Recent evidence indicates that humor is an important aspect of a person's health, and studies have shown that increased levels of humor help with stress, pain tolerance, and overall patient health outcomes. Still, many healthcare providers are hesitant to use humor in their practice for fear of offense or failure. Understanding more of how and why humor works as well as some of the issues related to real-world examples is essential to help practitioners be more successful in their use and understanding of humor in medical care. Through case studies and real-world applications of therapeutic humor, the field can be better understood and advanced for best practices and uses of this type of therapy. With this growing area of interest, research on humor in a patient care setting must be discussed. Cases on Applied and Therapeutic Humor focuses on humor in medical care and will discuss issues in humor research, assessment of the effectiveness of humor in medical settings, and examples of medical care in specific health settings. The chapters will explore how propriety, effectiveness, perception, and cultural variables play a role in using humor as therapy and will also provide practical case studies from medical/healthcare professionals in which they personally employed humor in medical practice. This book is ideal for medical students, therapists, researchers interested in health, humor, and medical care; healthcare professionals; humor researchers; along with practitioners, academicians, and students looking for a deeper understanding of the role humor can play as well as guidance as to the effective and meaningful use of humor in medical/healthcare settings.

Through an engaging collection of readings and articles, Philosophical Introductions: Introductory Readings in Philosophy introduces students to a variety of areas within the discipline. The text features examples and content students can easily relate to, as well as a section dedicated to humor. The anthology is organized into 15 chapters that cover a range of topics, including the concepts of evil, forgiveness and apology, free will and determinism, and the justification of human rights. Students read selections from Aristotle concerning the virtue of character, virtues of thought, and the individual virtues of character. Additional chapters cover the concept of race as it applies to social culture, utilitarianism, Kantianism, humor, and more. Designed to provide students with a thought-provoking reading experience, Philosophical Introductions is an ideal foundational resource for courses in philosophy.