COMEDY BOOKS

Can They Help With Depression?

We all like a good laugh and have watched comedians on the television, or at a comedy club and for a short while we have laughed at their jokes and felt uplifted and forgot about our troubles. Most people feel depressed at least one point during their lifetime, others do so a lot more often. Can reading comedy books help with depression? Read on to see how they help.

Our Troubles Appear Less Important

Reading how comedians treat day-to-day life and joke about the problems that many of us face such as husbands, wives, children, finance, in-laws, joblessness and such make them appear so much less worrying as we don’t feel alone in having these problems. Suddenly, we are reading what appears to very frank ways of dealing with them which makes us feel better. It doesn’t matter if the jokes are not part of real-life as the way we interpret them makes it all feel real and less important so we worry a bit less which makes us feel better at least until we have put the book down! Many people go on to worry less about their current problems and think about the jokes that are relevant to their situation which brings about a smile.

Laughing Lowers Stress

We often laugh out loud when reading comedy books and without realising it we are lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels which can cause stress and anxiety. Endorphins, those wonderful chemicals in our brain that are released when we laugh can stay with us for around an hour after laughing so the more, we laugh the more that are released alleviating depression making you feel better. After reading the parts which made you laugh those parts will enter your head when you least expect it and you will relive the laughter. Also, when you share the joke, for example, with others and they find it funny it will make you feel better that you have made someone laugh and brightened up their day. Laughter, like a yawn, spreads and this itself is a wonderful thing.

Why Books Work Better

Reading comedy books are so much better than laughing at the television or going to a comedy club for the following reasons: –

You can re-read the jokes that you missed if your mind has wandered off as depression can cause it do. reading the bit that you missed out means you read all the jokes and unlike watching television where you have to rewind if you have that option is a bit more inconvenient.
You can take the book to different rooms with us as it light and portable and pack it in a bag if leaving the home.
You can read quietly and privately at a time whatever suits you and help alleviate your depression by reading comedy at a time that suits you.
The book will be there for whenever you need it and re-reading it will make you laugh even more than it made you the first time you read it making your personal issues feel more manageable.
You can put a crease in the pages that made you laugh the most and go back to them when you feel like you need to laugh again and want to read something funny.
You may feel less isolated reading other people’s experience of life and the funny way they handle it. There will parts of the comedy book that you really resonate with and you may start to feel that somebody else has gone through what you are going through and you have an empathy with the author who you may now see a kind of friend and take life a bit less serious.
You don’t have to explain yourself when you laugh whilst reading a book. But if you were in a comedy club for example and you laughed at a joke the person who you were with or sitting next to you may be offended by that joke and perhaps give you an unwanted stare making you feel uncomfortable. With a book you don’t need to give a full explanation of why you laughed if a person in the room asks what you’re laughing at. You can just make up anything up or brush it off.
You may be going through a family bereavement and want to read a comedy book to take your mind off the all the sadness that goes with a bereavement and don’t want to laugh out loud to upset family members. A book is portable and allows you to escape the sadness that you are feeling yourself by taking it to another room.

Books To Make You Laugh

You may have never read a comedy book and haven’t a clue where to start. Let’s break that down for you a bit so you can determine what type of boo you will find funny as some of us have different sense of humours. Choose one to begin with that you think you would enjoy based on these different comedy genres.

Fiction Comedy

Really Good Actually by Monica Heisey. A young divorced woman muddles her way through dating, her unfinished thesis, her hobbies whilst discovering herself. Hilariously funny.
The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer. A man searches for a mysterious woman and his missing colleague in London. Endearingly funny.
And Then There’s Margaret by Carolyn Clarke. A middle-age woman face chaos as her mother-in-law moves into her home. A story packed with laughter.

Dark Comedy

Actually, I’m a Corpse by Terry Deary. Set in 1973 on a train, a casual confession by a man that he is a murderer results in a chain of blackmail and death. A hilarious murder mystery.
Idle Grounds by Krystelle Bamford. Set in New England in the 1980’s young cousins uncover disturbing family secrets whilst searching for a child in woodland which is strangely supernatural. A chillingly, funny novel.
Well, That Escalated Quickly by Sarah Turner. A woman who is expected to be promoted find that she has just been made redundant. She is forced to rebuild her life after a lie gets out of control. A funny story that will be relatable to many.

Romantic Comedy

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. A financial journalist gives money advice to others when she has problems with her finances as she is a shopaholic. A romantic comedy paired with the funny side of a woman’s debt through her compulsive shopping.
The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary. Two flatmates who share a bed yet never talk in person due to their conflicting shift work manage to fall in love due to the notes they write.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. Exiled to a small coastal town to manage her father’s bar, a Hollywood socialite fall in love with a sea captain after many clashes. A rom com with lots of witty banter.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

The Ridiculous by Jeffrey Kippel & Mindy Hepstein. A comedy sci-fi adventure novel.
Still Lost: Tales From the Year 2080 by Sam A. Miller. A funny and clever science fiction book.
Redshirts by John Scalzi. A very witty meta science fiction adventure book.

Classic Comedy

Old Age for Beginners by Clive Whichelow. A light-hearted laugh at old age focussing on saying what you want, prioritising comfort over trends, slowing down and gaining wisdom from your past mistakes. A very witty book that guarantees laughs.
Man Walks into a Bar: The Ultimate Collection of Jokes and One-Liners by Mike Haskins & Stephen Arnott. Jokes are grouped into themes like the jokes are ordered by themes, which include topics like husbands, wives, doctors, lawyers, the French, the Germans, nuns, Essex girls, the lot! Classic comedy for all round laughs.
The Absurd Life of Barry White by Rob Harris. A very funny story about a gambling content creator wins a fortune and the more he tries to lose it, the richer he becomes.

Non-Fiction Comedy

A Little Zit on the Side by Jasper Carrott. A collection of comic anecdotes from his life and observational sketches from growing up to becoming a top British comedian.
The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe. A personal memoir by a radio host who has suffered clinical depression and how interviewing comedians who suffered similar clinical states and explores it through humour which helped overcome their depression in a sort of dark comedy.
Hyperbole and a Half by Alexandra Brosh. An illustrated memoir based on the author’s blog about growing up and her battle with depression in a humourous manner.