Climate Anxiety Addressed Through Standup Comedy

Facing overwhelming dread about the planet's future, an individual sought an unconventional coping mechanism: a standup comedy class. This seven-week online course, designed to help participants channel anxieties about social and environmental issues into humour, culminated in a live performance. The author, who described public speaking as a deeply disliked activity, found themselves telling jokes about various topics, including artificial intelligence and immigration, as a way to process their despair.

Sustainable Stand Up Course Origins

Over a decade ago, Belina Raffy, an improv consultant and comedy coach, observed that dire climate change warnings were causing widespread fear and paralysis. Simultaneously, those attempting to communicate the urgency of the crisis risked burnout. To address this, Raffy developed 'Sustainable Stand Up,' a course intended to equip individuals working on social and environmental causes with humorous methods for conveying serious messages. The course has been taught internationally and online to a diverse group, including climate scientists, lawyers, and activists.

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This particular iteration of the class was aimed at members of the Climate Psychology Alliance, therapists who assist individuals in coping with the psychological impact of the climate crisis. The author was the sole participant who was not a therapist. The course structure included initial exercises like 'rants' on less critical topics, followed by assignments to write jokes. Raffy guided participants to identify the underlying values they cared about, helping them to feel validated.

Laughter as a Mental Health Intervention

Research suggests that laughter offers significant physical and emotional benefits. Emerging evidence indicates that learning comedy can positively impact mental health by assisting individuals in reframing challenging experiences, fostering social connections, and boosting self-assurance. In recent years, the UK's National Health Service has incorporated standup comedy classes into its 'social prescribing' initiatives, referring patients to non-clinical activities to support overall wellbeing. This approach questions whether engaging in comedy can enhance resilience when confronting collective, political, and planetary difficulties.

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Raffy's Approach to 'Loving Comedy'

Raffy's comedic philosophy, termed 'loving comedy,' is rooted in humor psychology. This approach distinguishes between psychologically beneficial humor—which affirms others, builds community, and helps regulate emotions through amusement in difficult situations—and detrimental humor, such as mockery or excessive self-deprecation. The course's objective, as articulated by Raffy, is to foster a mindset of self-love, audience appreciation, and a playful critique of 'the system,' while sharing aspirations for a better future. Raffy acknowledges that in the current 'polycrisis,' people are highly activated, often wanting to confront issues directly.