Sad Clown Paradox

i heard a joke once a man goes to a doctor says he's depressed life seems harsh and cruel says he feels all alone in a threatening world doctor says treatment is simple great clown poliatchi is in town go see him that should pick you up man bursts into tears but doctor he says i am poliacy a sad clown is a staple in pop culture here's the wisecracking character who uses humor to cope with their inner turmoil but is this just a tv trope or does it have an actual basis in the real world the observation that comedy often goes hand in hand with mental distress is not new it's called the sad clown paradox in 1975 psychotherapist samuel janus and colleagues assessed 69 famous and successful comedians on various personal and lifestyle traits they found that comedians tended to have higher intelligence but experienced more negative emotions such as anxiety depression and anger they were also preoccupied with receiving approval compared to fellow performers such as actors they were more asocial and emotionally flat yet also more extroverted and impulsive quite a paradoxical combination however this doesn't mean that all comedians share these traits in fact positive humor can be a useful tool to cope with daily life telling jokes and funny stories with others can facilitate bonds and finding humor in dirk situations can help manage stress however aggressive and self-deprecating kinds of humor can be risk factors for mood disorders like depression and anxiety one feature of the sad clown paradox is a cyclothymic temperament it starts in adolescence or early adulthood and is characterized by spontaneous fleeting episodes of hypomania and depression this is interwoven with periods without symptoms it's a kind of mood pattern but also a mood disorder the most misdiagnosed and misconceived mood disorder because of this subtlety individuals with cyclothymia often do not see a need for treatment consequently a third of young adults and adults progress to bipolar disorder a sad clown is no joke those that bring joy to our lives might be trying to distract and cope with uncomfortable feelings the great clown paliacci is no exception [Music] you

Channel: Abeeshan Selvabaskaran

Views: 27,497

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Id: mFTWVJ7CgbI

Length: 3min 10sec (190 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 08 2022