Does Improv Comedy = The Fountain of Youth? Science says a resounding “YES, AND.”
The title is hyperbolic, but a study in the Gerontology and Geriatric Journal was recently published that is titled “The Effects of Improv Training on Older Adults in a Long Term Care Facility.” The study was done in collaboration with Northwestern University.?
15 adults - with a median age of 83.6 years - who were all living in a residential care facility, were put through The Second City’s “Humor Doesn’t Retire” program: an 8 week improvisational course that met for 2 hours every week. Participants were surveyed both before and after the course and the results were pretty exciting.?
“Participants experienced significant improvements in social isolation and perceived stress, and trend improvements in positive effect, self-efficacy, and anxiety. Participants described themes of increased attentiveness, becoming more relaxed, increased cognitive stimulation, and improved communication.”
Here are some of the survey results in the words of those taking the improv class.
Positivity
“I have grandchildren and I used to be more negative: ‘yes, but,” instead of ‘yes, and.’ We give options to one another.”
Improved Socialization
“Loved the classes! Loved them! Because it gets you together with the other residents. You form friendships you wouldn’t normally have.”
Thinking and Cognitive Stimulation
“I think it stimulates the way of thinking for you to encourage conversation. It’s an enabler of humor. It’s an enabler of conversation. It’s an enabler of thinking more.”
As the study notes, this is the first mixed methodology research to show objective scientific evidence that an improv course (in particular, The Second City’s “Humor Doesn’t Retire” course) significantly impacts older adults in a long term care facility.
For more information on “Humor Doesn’t Retire:”?
Creative impact-driven entrepreneur and consultant helping leaders and companies innovate, navigate change and thrive in an unpredictable world | Author | TED Speaker | Humorist
2 年Love this! Thanks for sharing Kelly! I agree. Whether people realize it or not, they are improvising. People are just improvising in ways that are more or less hard on their nervous systems/bodies. Observationally I've noticed the people in my life over 90 years old are great at saying "yes, and" embracing life's changes (versus the people I've known to die young who reject and resist life's changes). There's a peacefulness about these 90+ year olds. They "play the scene they're in", "take life as a gift", and "say yes, and" acknowledge the reality and take action from there. These are all fundamental principles of improvisation. They are also principles for a healthy nervous system. ??
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2 年Max Kantor
Marketing & Strategy Leader | Grow Restaurant Brands | Customer Engagement | Team Leadership | B2B Marketing | Strategic Direction | Food Service Expertise | Channel Management | Digital & Traditional Marketing
2 年Really cool!
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2 年That sure pops some positive news out of the page!