August 28, 2025 • 39 mins
This first TLC Pulse Episode unpacks five developments reshaping our understanding of mental health and wellbeing.
Insight 1
Laughter truly might be the best medicine according to groundbreaking research from Japan showing that just four minutes of comedy viewing can significantly reduce stress and improve focus in adults.
https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12906-025-04863-5
Insight 2
The alarming state of teacher mental health in Australia demands urgent attention, with research revealing educators experience depression, anxiety, and stress at three times the national average.
https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/08/teachers-depression-anxiety-and-stress-three-times-national-norm
Insight 3
As we approach World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, the theme "Changing the Narrative on Suicide" challenges us to move beyond stigma toward openness and community support.
https://www.iasp.info/wspd/
Insight 4
Meanwhile, Australia prepares to implement controversial social media age restrictions for under-16s by December 2025, a policy supported by research linking social media exposure to declining youth mental health.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions
Insight 5
Perhaps most exciting is the UK's innovative "comedy on prescription" initiative, where the NHS is trialing comedy shows and workshops as alternatives to antidepressants for mild depression. With overwhelming positive feedback from participants, this approach recognizes humor's powerful physiological benefits - decreasing cortisol while boosting serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/no-brainer-fund-comedy-prescription-201737762.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKc3Lio1V38kGBnPQjOFd9sTfDIC6zqgyXFo9OBSm0qY0JvrugyU5WdHpbBlFb1B_NW7EYk7WgXYE5TiFSBhXgC8auHWoWMI3LBfSgL8cw6edcL_GeLvlZY5SMBu8Neirc_BJ02C7Ytd83FnXTCGc559sYXxzdX1Ym3l_QGu3sPo
Throughout this episode, Mark McConville shares practical strategies for incorporating laughter into your wellbeing routine, including building your own "laughter library" for quick mental health boosts during busy days. Whether you're interested in cutting-edge research, concerned about social media's impact, or simply looking for evidence-based ways to improve your mental health, this episode delivers valuable insights and actionable strategies.
"If you or someone you know needs support, please contact one of these Australian mental health services. In an emergency, always call 000."
Lifeline Australia
Phone: 13 11 14 (24/7)
Web: lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service
Phone: 1300 659 467 (24/7)
Web: suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Beyond Blue
Phone: 1300 22 4636 (24/7)
Web: beyondblue.org.au
Kids Helpline (for people aged 5-25)
Phone: 1800 55 1800 (24/7)
Web: kidshelpline.com.au
MensLine Australia
Phone: 1300 78 99 78 (24/7)
Web: mensline.org.au
SANE Australia (complex mental health issues)
Phone: 1800 18 7263 (10am-10pm AEST, Mon-Fri)
Web: sane.org
QLife (LGBTIQ+ support)
Phone: 1800 184 527 (3pm-midnight AEST)
Web: qlife.org.au
Open Arms (Veterans & Families Counselling)
Phone: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
Web: openarms.gov.au
1800RESPECT (sexual assault, domestic violence)
Phone: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
Web: 1800respect.org.au
Headspace (youth mental health, ages 12-25)
Phone: 1800 650 890 (9am-1am AEST)
Web: headspace.org.au
13YARN (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support)
Phone: 13 92 76 (13YARN) (24/7)
Web: 13yarn.org.au
Music produced by Hayden Smith
https://www.haydensmith.com/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Laughter Clinic Podcast with
comedian and suicidologist MarkMcConville, bringing you
practical, evidence-basedself-care strategies, the latest
research in mental health,along with conversations that
inspire, educate and entertain.
This is the Laughter ClinicPodcast with your host, mark
(00:26):
McConville.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Hey folks, mark McConville here, how are you
going?
And welcome to this, the firstof the TLC Pulse episodes.
So the Pulse episodes are whereI will share with you five
carefully curated insights fromaround the world in the field of
mental health, suicideprevention and the research into
the health benefits of humorand laughter.
(00:55):
So in doing this, it enables meto keep up to date with what's
going on in the world in thesethree very interesting fields
and as I do that, I'll find fiveinteresting items that I feel
are worthy of sharing with you.
So for the first one, to kickus off, I've got five crackers
to have a chat about.
So firstly, item number one onthe list we're going to talk
(01:19):
about is Study Out of Japanwhich looks at the effects of
humor or sorry, the effects oflaughter on focus and stress in
middle-aged adults.
So that's an interesting one.
Then we're going to dive into aresearch in Australia looking
at stress levels and depressionlevels in teachers Big one that.
Thirdly, we're going to have achat about World Suicide
(01:39):
Prevention Day, which is comingup on the 10th of September, a
couple of weeks away, and thensocial media age limit coming
into Australia.
So that's a really prickly oneto get our head around.
And then, finally, we're goingto wind it up with a fantastic
initiative coming out of the UKthat looks at how comedy shows
could be prescribed for peopleon antidepressants to curb the
(02:01):
rates of, to curb the NHS costs.
So yeah some fantastic things toget into there.
So first things first.
I just want to say thank youvery much for joining me on this
, the first TLC Pulse, and allof the articles that I'm
referring today I will put linksto in the show notes so you can
(02:22):
have a flick through themyourselves if you like.
So let's dive into it.
Number one on the list Iactually saw this article on one
of my Google alerts.
Came out of the Jerusalem Post,would you believe, and it's in
relation to a study thathappened in Japan.
The headline reads only fourminutes the fun activity that
can reduce stress and improvefocus.
(02:45):
In case you needed more proof,a new study found that even a
short burst of laughter cansignificantly, significantly,
benefits the brain and mentalhealth.
So how short?
How short are we talking?
This is what's really coolabout this study.
Is there a way so it goes on tosay, is there a way to improve
(03:05):
your concentration and loweryour stress levels in just four
minutes?
Four minutes, my friends,that's what's really cool about
this Without medication,physical exercise or even going
outside.
A study recently published inBMC complementary medicines this
is the beginning of this yearstudy published in BMC
complementary medicines andtherapies suggested that a short
(03:28):
dose of laughter may be all ittakes to reduce stress and
enhance focus.
What a very, very cool thing tolook at.
So the study conducted by agroup of researchers in Japan
examined how watching a short,funny video clip affects mental
performance and stress levels inhealthy individuals aged 40 to
(03:50):
65.
The results are surprising.
Well, I don't know why they'resurprising.
We know this stuff works.
Even short laughter has asignificantly positive effect on
the brain and the mind.
So there is no doubt that welive in a complex, challenging
reality and many of usexperience reduced focus,
chronic stress and mentalfatigue.
(04:10):
Many people don't seektreatment or don't have time to
access advanced tools.
Therefore, there's growinginterest in simple, accessible,
non-invasive approach toimproving mental health, and the
fact that they have done thisstudy and had the study
participants do four minutebursts of laughter is really
(04:32):
fantastic, and it's somethingthat I'm personally so stoked
about because in my laughterclinic presentations that I do
and my human laughter educationprogram, I talk to people about
building a laughter library.
You know finding what is it thatmakes you laugh?
Getting on YouTube building alaughter library.
You create a playlist.
You don't know how to create aplaylist on YouTube.
(04:54):
Ask a 10-year-old, they'll doit.
And then you just chuck a wholeheap of stuff in your laughter
library that makes you laugh,what you find funny, and then
you can give yourself laughtertherapy sessions throughout the
day or, you know, save it up anddo 20 or 30 minutes at night.
But the fact that you know andI know actually say to people in
these when you're doing theselaughter therapy sessions it
(05:15):
might only be three or fourminutes in between, in between
meetings or whatever it is thatyou've got going on, and the
fact that these guys have doneresearch study and they've
looked at a four minute video,is very cool because it really
relates strongly to what I'vebeen advocating in doing your
self-administered laughtertherapy.
(05:37):
So laughter has long beenconsidered a natural tool for
reducing stress.
The article goes on to sayPrevious studies have shown that
it lowers blood pressure,enhances immune function and
reduces cortisol levels.
However, until now it hadn'tbeen thoroughly examined how
short laughter affects the brainfunctions such as concentration
(05:59):
memory, especially inmiddle-aged individuals.
So I'm just saying a lot of theresearch done up until now has
been long form.
The study involved 25 healthyJapanese adults aged 40 to 65.
Each participant watched twovideos one particularly funny
clip featuring a famous comedian, and the other clip was
(06:21):
considered less funny and it wasused as a control video.
Each of the videos lasted aboutfour minutes.
So there you go.
They chose the time Veryinteresting.
After each viewing,participants completed a series
of computer-based testsassessing concentration, memory
and attention.
Simultaneously, psychologicalparameters were measured blood
(06:43):
flow in the brain, heart rate,mood, biological stress markers
in saliva and the results betterfocus and improved mood.
Well, giddy.
Up to that, I say, thedifference between the comedy
video and the control video wasclear and measurable.
So this is very cool.
This is a great study.
(07:04):
Really highlights the fact thatyou know it's what we're
talking about giving yourselfself-administered laughter
therapy sessions throughout theday very important.
So even just four minutes fourminutes has been shown to have a
positive effect.
So fantastic article to kick usoff that one there.
So once again, link to it willbe in the show notes.
(07:31):
Second item on our list that Iwould like to have a chat to you
about is something that hascome out of the newsroom from
the University of New SouthWales here in Australia and
pretty stark headline.
This it's only released in thelast few days teaches depression
, anxiety and stress at threetimes the national norm.
How's that for a headline?
As I said, this has come out ofthe University of New South
Wales.
Nine out of 10 Australianteachers are experiencing severe
(07:55):
stress, nine out of 10.
And nearly 70% say theirworkload is unmanageable.
I was going to say unimaginable.
And nearly 70% say theirworkload is unmanageable, says
the University of New SouthWales research study.
So the article goes on to say anew study from researchers at
(08:16):
New South Wales Sydney, thefirst to examine rates of
depression, anxiety and stressin Australian teachers, has
found they experience thesemental health issues at three
times the national norm.
The study, which is entitledTeachers' Workload, turnover
Intentions and Mental Health asonce again the link will be in
the show notes published inSocial Psychology of Education,
(08:40):
surveyed nearly 5,000 primaryand secondary school teachers
across Australia.
Now here's some interestingstats for you.
Researchers found that 90% ofteachers reported moderate to
extremely severe levels ofstress, while more than
two-thirds experienced moderateto extremely severe symptoms of
(09:02):
depression and anxiety.
These figures for depressionand anxiety alone are more than
double the national average andpoint to a profession under
immense pressure.
And it's not just a wellbeingissue.
This is a workplace issue, makeno mistake.
So the study used validatedpsychological measures using the
(09:24):
DAS, which is, for those of youthat don't know, it's what's
called the Depression, anxietyand Stress Scale.
I've used this before myself.
It's a good, easy to use,robust test, and the study
revealed that teachers' averagescores for depression, anxiety
and stress were in the extremelysevere range compared to
national norms.
Teachers scored three timeshigher for depression and nearly
(09:46):
four times higher for stress.
It's incredible, isn't it?
And it basically there'sanother big headline here that
says this is one of the largestand most comprehensive studies
of teachers' mental health inAustralia.
It provides a clear and urgentmessage.
Our teachers are struggling andthey need support and they do.
(10:10):
And you know from personalexperience I've got a few
teachers that I know, I've got acouple of teachers in the
family and it is, without adoubt, a noble profession.
I really believe that being ateacher, you know I put in there
with you know first respondersand nurses, and there's certain
professions that you go that isa noble profession.
(10:32):
You know to go out and do thesethings for the betterment of
our community and our country,and you know.
So a big shout out to anyteachers that might be out there
listening and just I want toreally acknowledge the job that
you do and the importance ofwhat you do, and I really hope
that you're finding a way tolook after yourself and taking
(10:54):
some time to administer a littlebit of self-care.
So what needs to change?
The article goes on to talkabout some recommendations In
response to these findings.
The research team is callingfor a multi-pronged approach to
support teacher wellbeing Policyreforms to reduce non-essential
workload and streamlineadministrative tasks.
(11:17):
Well, that's a big one rightthere.
School level monitoring ofteacher wellbeing and workload.
That sounds like that could beone that would be top of the
list to implement.
The next one invest in digitalmental health programs tailored
for educators, allowing flexible, self-paced support.
Yeah, I kind of get that one.
I would like to see more of.
(11:39):
You know kind of what I do andwhat other people do and go out
and do live.
You know training and mentalhealth activities for teachers
on training days and that sortof stuff, because any time that
I've gone and done a live alaughter clinic for a group of
teachers at a school, thefeedback has been outstanding as
(11:59):
to what they've got out of itand how much they enjoy the
laugh and they really got a lotof, you know, personal mental
health stuff out of it.
So, yeah, on digital mentalhealth programs, yeah, I get it
because it's easily accessible,but, you know, don't lose the
fact that we need live stuff,you know, because you're never
going to beat being in a roomwith 20 or 30 teachers making
(12:21):
them laugh.
It's the best.
So this study took placebetween October 2022 and May
2024, with recruitment via theBlack Dog Institute website and
social media channels, usingtargeted social media outreach
and teacher-specific platforms.
So there's a lot in this report, like I said, the link's in the
(12:43):
show notes if you want to checkit out.
But basically, what we need todo is we need to make sure that
we're looking after our teachers, because I'm sure this isn't a
problem that is unique toAustralia.
I'm sure that there would beteachers around the world that
would probably experience thesetypes of stress and these levels
of stress, anxiety anddepression.
So if you're a teacher outthere, kudos to you.
(13:06):
Acknowledge the incrediblyimportant work that you do and
please find a way of lookingafter yourself.
So number three on our items ofinterest for this the first
Pulse episode On the 10th ofSeptember coming up.
It is World Suicide PreventionDay.
This is a day that isrecognised every year.
(13:28):
Communities, organisations andgovernments across Australia and
around the world come togetherto mark World Suicide Prevention
Day, and it is a time toreflect, connect and recommit to
a shared goal of preventingsuicide and spreading hope.
Every year they have a themefor World Suicide Prevention Day
(13:51):
, and this year's theme ischanging the narrative on
suicide.
You know it challenges us totransform how we think and talk
about suicide in communities.
Yeah, you know, it's a call fora shift from silence and stigma
(14:12):
to openness, empathy and actionto ensure those who are
struggling feel heard, supportedand connected.
Together we can help create afuture where more lives are
saved and more stories areshared.
So, from a personal point ofview, you know I've worked in
the field of suicide preventionnow since I started studying
(14:34):
back in 2015 at GriffithUniversity, and it is an
incredibly complex field ofstudy.
It's great that we hear fromthe voice of lived experience
now and how important that is inall suicide prevention programs
, because the voice of livedexperience can help provide hope
to people that might not be,that might be struggling to find
(14:58):
hope in their life.
So, in Australia the 10th ofSeptember.
It actually coincides.
We have an initiative herecalled Are you Okay Day, which
is, I think, it's the secondThursday of every September, so
this year it actually falls onthe 11th of September, the day
afterwards, or Cyber PreventionDay.
And Are you Okay Day is afantastic initiative.
(15:20):
It really is.
It encourages people to haveconversations, you know,
checking in on your friends,reaching out to people who you
think may be struggling, andit's one of those things that
you mention it and then peoplethat are in the mental health
sector or suicide preventionsector say every day should be a
are you okay day, which they'reright.
(15:41):
You know every day should be,because you know suicide
prevention happens at acommunity level.
It is the day-to-dayinteractions that we have in
relation to looking afterourselves and looking after
those around us that can reallyhelp to prevent suicide.
So Are you OK Day once again,fantastic initiative.
There will be some stuff in theshow notes in relation to
(16:05):
resources online, because if youdo find you know, if you do
think to yourself that there'ssomeone that you wouldn't mind
asking you know how they'regoing and having a conversation
with them, if you do find youknow, if you do think to
yourself that there's someonethat you wouldn't mind asking
you know how they're going andhaving a conversation with them.
If you're worried, do yourselfa favour and get a little bit
educated prior to going intothat conversation, because it's
very important.
You know there's right thingsto say and wrong things to say.
So I'll put some stuff in theshow notes for some references
(16:26):
for you to go and have a look at.
So, world Suicide PreventionDay, 10th of September, changing
the narrative on suicide Veryimportant Right Now.
Let's look at number four on thelist for today.
This one is a prickly one thesocial media age restrictions
(16:46):
that are coming into Australia.
Well, this is really somethingthat is creating a lot of buzz
in the mental health and suicideprevention community.
So this article that I'mreferring to is from the eSafety
Commissioner on the Australiangovernment website.
The headline reads theAustralian government is
protecting young Australians ata critical stage of their
(17:07):
development through world firstsocial media age restrictions,
of their development throughworld first social media age
restrictions.
Now, before we get into this,before we get into this, I just
would like to say that recentlyI read a book called the Anxious
Generation, written by a guycalled Jonathan Haidt, and that
(17:29):
is spelt H-A-I-D-T by a guycalled Jonathan Haidt and that
is spelt H-A-I-D-T.
I came away from that bookthinking to myself now, I don't
have any kids myself.
Right, I'm a grandfather,having never been a father.
That's a whole other story.
But, yeah, so I don't have anykids myself.
But I came away from readingthat book thinking to myself
(17:50):
this is something that I thinkevery parent should read,
especially in this day and age,because Jonathan draws he's a
very clever guy and he draws avery distinct parallel between
the advent of sorry, the adventof smartphones and social media
(18:13):
with the decline in globalmental health and especially
around adolescence.
And he talks about how socialmedia affects young boys
differently to young girls andthe implications for all of that
.
And so you know, if you are alittle bit, you know, on the
fence or you're very divided,you know you've got very strong
(18:36):
beliefs about this initiativethat the Australian government
is looking like putting in.
I suggest you know, if you'reso inclined and you're
interested enough.
It's a really good book to read.
It's called the AnxiousGeneration, jonathan Haidt.
I'll put a link to it in theshow notes.
It's yeah.
(18:57):
So anyway, let's, let's get intothis.
Let's get into this, thisarticle on the eSafety
Commissioner's website forAustralia.
So they go on to say from the10th of Sept oh sorry, 10th of
September, got it in my brainfrom the 10th of December 2025,
age-restricted social mediaplatforms will have to take
reasonable steps to preventAustralians under the age of 16
(19:20):
from creating or keeping anaccount.
So these restrictions aim toprotect young Australians from
pressures and risks that userscan be exposed to while logged
into social media accounts.
These come from design featuresthat encourage them to spend
more time on screens, while alsoserving up content that can be
(19:42):
harmful to their health andwell-being.
Now, we all know that socialmedia has its place and it can
be a tool for good, and it alsocan be a tool for bad and evil
and online bullying and all thatsort of stuff, and I really
just want to acknowledge anybodythat's out there that has had
to deal with this in their life,because this is an incredibly
(20:05):
complicated situation that wefind ourselves in at the moment.
The article goes on to say,while no formal assessments have
been made, the age restrictionsare likely to apply to Facebook
, instagram, snapchat, tiktok Xwhich is formerly Twitter and
YouTube, it says, among otherplatforms.
Now, what those other platformswould be, who knows?
(20:26):
More generally, agerestrictions will apply to
social media platforms that meetthree specific conditions.
Right, and so basically youknow the conditions, like, the
sole purpose or the significantpurpose of the service is to be
able to online socialinteraction between two or more
end users, allows end users tolink to or interact with some or
(20:48):
all of the other end users, andthe service also allows end
users to post material on theservice.
So I gotta tell you, thelegislation and everything
behind this is going to be socomplicated.
I mean, it's just, you know,it's just a lot.
It really is.
But this is the interestingthing that when I was reading
(21:08):
this article that I didn'trealize.
And so this goes on to say thatit's not a ban, it's a delay in
having accounts, right.
So you know, for a long they'vebeen saying, oh, it's a ban on
social media.
They're saying it's not a ban,it's a delay.
So this means there will be nopenalties for under 16s who
access an age-restricted socialmedia platform, all for their
(21:31):
parents or carers.
Let me repeat that this meansthere will be no penalties for
under-16s who access anage-restricted social media
platform, their parents orcarers.
Age-restricted social mediaplatforms may face penalties if
they don't take reasonable stepsto prevent under-16s from
having accounts.
(21:51):
Reasonable measures how do youeven measure that?
So what would the penalties beif they don't do what they're
told?
These media platforms?
These media platforms?
A court can order civilpenalties for platforms that
(22:12):
don't take reasonable steps toprevent underage users from
having accounts on theirplatforms.
This includes court-imposedfines up to 150,000 penalty
units for corporations.
So how that works I don't know,but it's saying here that that
is currently equivalent to atotal of 49.5 million australian
(22:33):
dollars.
So they're planning on hittingthem in the hip pocket.
But really, you know, when welook at the size of these
corporations is 49 and a halfmillion, you know, like it's a
lot to you and me and it seemsinconceivable, but I'm sure that
for these big multinationalcorporations and it's probably a
(22:54):
drop in the ocean.
So it's a really interestingthing.
This, you know, and, like I said, it's very complicated.
It's coming into effect at theend of this year and so, you
know, there's a lot of articlesand research around this when it
comes to the effects of socialmedia on youth and, like I said,
(23:17):
I'll put a couple of things inthe show notes there, but myself
, personally, I go on.
You know the stuff that I readin Jonathan H's book, because
his is all research backed andyou know there's a lot of
evidence to support what he'ssaying in his book.
He is a supporter of.
I should say that he is asupporter of the age restriction
and, in actual fact, it's theweirdest thing the day that I
(23:39):
actually finished reading hisbook, the actual day, was the
day that Anthony Albanese cameout and said that he wanted to
try and impose this agerestriction for under 16 year
olds, and, in actual fact,jonathan is that's.
The age that he talks about inhis book is 16.
So, yeah, it's an interestingread.
(24:03):
He outlines all the researchand data to show the harmful
effects of social media on ouryouth.
It's a complicated one, you know.
You've got the harmful effectsof online bullying that kids
can't get away from, and thenyou've got the importance of
social connectedness.
You know we live in a bigcountry, Australia, we are all
(24:25):
over the shop and sometimes thesocial media might be the only
way that these kids can stayconnected to each other.
So it is going to be.
It's a complicated setup.
So, yeah, if you're a parent,you know.
Just, I wish you luck.
I really do, because it's acomplicated setup and you know,
try and keep abreast of what'sgoing on.
(24:47):
But if you get a chance, readJonathan's book the Anxious
Generation.
Really worth a read, right?
So let's get a little bitlighter now, shall we, and wind
it up with our last item on thelist, which is a cracking story
out of the UK, this one.
This was on the Daily Mailwebsite.
This was published the 20th ofFebruary this year and the
(25:10):
headline reads Is Laughter theBest Medicine.
Comedy shows could beprescribed for people on
antidepressants to curb NHScosts.
Well, giddy up to that.
How's this?
This is a cracking story.
It is an old adage thatlaughter is the best medicine,
but now trials are taking placeto provide comedy on
(25:32):
prescription and a bid toimprove people's mental health,
reduce the NHS costs and offeralternatives to antidepressants.
Well, what a feel good bloodystory this is, I tell you, and
there's so much I like aboutthis story.
So technology firm Crack Healthright, which is spelt C-A-I-C
(25:53):
Crack Health, which is that's acracking name right has secured
grant funding for its socialmedia prescribing scheme, which
uses comedy-based interventionssuch as stand-up comedy shows,
workshops to help people who arelonely, isolated and vulnerable
to get involved in communityevents.
Well, this is so.
(26:13):
There is so much about thisthat I love, because you know,
community engagement iseverything when it comes to
mental health.
And you know, as I travelaround Australia, we go to a lot
of different outbackcommunities and all that sort of
stuff, and you know, inAustralia we have a mental
health system that is reallystruggling.
(26:34):
You know, we've got people thatare in need of mental health
treatment or access to mentalhealth services and they've got
reduced access because of wherethey are, wait times and all
this sort of stuff.
And so when I travel around tothese little communities, I say
community engagement iseverything.
You know you're your supportfor each other.
You really are.
So getting out and not beingisolated and engaging in your
(26:57):
community is fantastic.
In actual fact, I've got twoepisodes on the solo series
which you can look at there.
One is on social health whyit's important and community
engagement how to foster a senseof belongingness.
So check them out.
But this let's get back to thisstory.
So Crack Health.
Back to Crack Health.
The company said it is lookingat whether its comedy on
(27:19):
prescription approach can helpreduce England's mental ill
health costs, in line with othersocial prescribing schemes.
This is a beauty, isn't it?
Crack, crack Added, right, I'vegot to tell you.
I just read this off, thisarticle Crack Added, its project
is aimed at helping the comedyindustry, community
organisations and governments towork together on comedy-based
(27:42):
social prescriptions in a bidfor it to be used more widely in
the health service.
What an apps this, this, I tellyou.
When I read this, I was likeI'm loving so much of this.
You know, because when I startedworking in the field of suicide
prevention and mental health, I, you know, I had this dream of
creating a formal link betweenthe comedy industry and the
(28:04):
mental and that of mental health.
You know, because me believethat.
You know, in australia we havethe medicare system.
Right, we have a lot of, wehave a fantastic health system
in australia where a lot of yourfree, free health care you know
, we'll pay for it in our taxes,obviously, but medicare and so
you know, I have this dream of,you know, one day, people being
(28:24):
able to, you know, go to acomedy club on a Friday night,
pay 30-odd bucks for theirticket or whatever, and then on
Monday morning they go toMedicare and get a full refund
from the government because youknow, we've shown that human
laughter is bloody good for yourmental health.
So yeah, that's a dream, butanyway.
So let's move on to this article.
(28:44):
So the work is supported by anMP in government.
He's got on board.
This guy's a doctor, labor MP,simon Offer.
Now, I hope I pronounced hisname, right, it's spelt
O-P-H-E-R.
Now Simon has warned inParliament about the pandemic of
overprescription and outlinedhow making people laugh can
(29:07):
avoid the need for medication.
Don't you just love this guy?
The Strat MP helped to pioneersocial prescriptions, including
the using the arts, and believesthat there is an opportunity to
further explore the benefits ofcomedy events.
Well, giddy up, simon, go son.
I say Simon is linked up withcrack founder, crack founder,
(29:29):
lou Jackson, and the pair willhost Simon and Lou will host an
event in Parliament on the 13thof March, right?
So remember this article waspublished on the 20th of Feb,
right?
So now this says here that thepair will host an event in
Parliament on the 13th of Marchto discuss the impact of the
trials which are taking place inthe Westminster area of London,
(29:52):
right?
So how did they go?
How did they go?
We'll get to that in a minute.
We'll get to that in a minute.
The NHS figures show that 8.7million people in England took
antidepressants in 23-24,increased by 2.1%.
So Simon Offer.
Dr Simon Offer says that one infive adults are on
(30:14):
antidepressants.
That's partly because there areno other treatments really
readily often available.
So if you go to see a GP withmild to moderate depression, you
get referred to a.
You get referred for psychology.
That's often a four to sixmonth wait.
So we're talking about the UKhere.
(30:35):
It's probably not thatdifferent here in Australia, to
be honest.
And so you're not going to dothat as a GP.
That's not very supportivetreatment.
You want something else.
So what else do you do?
You reach for your prescriptionpad, and so that's where people
like Lou come in from CrackHealth.
This is the first time we'vetried comedy and that's what's
(30:55):
exciting about this.
Miss Jackson said from CrackComedy, said comedy on
prescription could help reducethe costs linked to mental
health issues in the country,noting there can be immediate
and longer-lasting healthbenefits connected to comedy,
and I've got to tell you so.
It just says here.
She added it's acortisol-decreaser, dopamine
(31:17):
producer, potent releaser ofserotonin, endorphins and good
neuropeptides.
So if you want to know moreabout this right and the
real-world applications of this,check out my episode where I
have a chat to a gentleman bythe name of Craig Co.
If you want to know more aboutthis right and the real world
applications of this, check outmy episode where I have a chat
to a gentleman by the name ofCraig Coombs.
I've got to tell you that's aninspiring chat right there.
Craig, in 2012, was given 18months to live and we chatted in
(31:41):
what the beginning of Augustthis year, you know, and he's a
huge advocate for the healthbenefits of humor and laughter
and actually doing stand-up.
So, anyway, check that out.
I digress Back to Miss Jackson,from Crack Going to one comedy
workshop or going to onestand-up comedy event or having
a comedian come in and teachkids how to improvise and laugh
(32:05):
at themselves.
It's got an effect for 24 hoursand surely that's better than
prescribing antidepressants, andCraig actually talks about that
in his chat with me.
He talks about the ongoingbenefits the next day from going
to a comedy show or doing one.
So, yeah, awesome.
Let's find out what the resultswere, shall we?
So on the 14th of March, theday after they handed down their
(32:30):
findings to the Parliament.
The headliner reads no brainerto fund comedy on prescription
to aid in mental health MPs.
Here, funding comedy onprescription is a no brainer,
mps have heard.
As initial feedback suggests,trials of the scheme had a
positive impact on people'smental health.
Crack Health back to Cracksecured funding for its social
(32:53):
prescribing scheme which usescomedy based interventions such
as stand up shows and workshopsto help people who are lonely,
isolated and vulnerable to getinvolved in community events.
Brilliant, like I said,community engagement, love it.
Labor MP Simon Offer, whohelped pioneer social
prescriptions, has championedthe scheme and hopes to ensure
(33:13):
comedy can become moremainstream in terms of NHS
treatment as an alternative toantidepressants in cases of mild
symptoms.
So he's referring to mildsymptoms of depression and
anxiety here.
So Lou Jackson, who is thefounder of CRAC, said responses
(33:39):
from surveys completed by thoseinvolved in the first five
events held between December andMarch in London had been
positive, with nearly allwanting to attend more.
Of course they want more CRAC,which I've just realised how bad
that sounds.
Course they want more crack,which I've just realised how bad
that sounds.
But they want more comedy.
Right, okay, it's produced bycrack.
They want more comedy.
The tech company is looking atwhether its comedy on
prescription approach can helpreduce England's mental ill
(34:01):
health cost in line with othersocial prescribing schemes.
The NHS figures okay, wementioned that before.
8.7 million people in Englandtook antidepressants in 23, 24,
wow, that's a lot, isn't it?
So National Institute forHealth and Care Excellence they
love their acronyms, right.
(34:21):
National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence, which
they've said is nice, and theymissed out.
The H right Guidelines saysantidepressants should not be
routinely offered as the firsttreatment for less severe
depression unless it's theperson's preference.
Well, that's fair.
(34:43):
You know.
One Westminster's acting chiefexecutive, shelley Reynolds,
speaking in an event inParliament to discuss the trials
of the comedy industry, said,and I quote it was something
that was different.
We knew that it would work.
We didn't need to seeevaluations and outcomes reports
and numbers and things on achart to say that it works.
(35:04):
Why?
Because we all know this works.
We know that if you laugh youfeel better.
So it was a bit of a no-brainerto fund CRAC.
To fund CRAC, it gets me everyjob, I'm sorry, with our little
pot of money from theWestminster Community Grants,
and this is great.
You know I love this.
(35:24):
This is the sort of thing thatyou know Australian governments
need to get involved with andyou know local councils around
the country, you know, if you'vegot some money for funding for
mental health, you know, getcomedians out there, you know
get.
You know not only myself doinglaughter clinics, but comedy
shows.
Get people out engaged in thecommunity putting on comedy
(35:47):
shows.
You know it's so important itreally is and there's so much
research to support it.
You know, and I love this, thisis really cool.
This is a really cool thing.
So he said here it was thoughtthe most amazing idea and
something that we could reallydo, quite groundbreaking.
And this, this report, or these.
(36:09):
You know the statements thatthey were given to Parliament.
They said, in relation to theinterest for future events, 98%
of people are interested and thelikelihood of coming to more
events was 92%.
Very, very cool.
So a total of 56 participantscompleted forms in relation to
these surveys.
(36:31):
Simon Stroud sorry, simon, offerfrom Stroud.
The Stroud MP saidantidepressants are fantastic
medicines and I've seen reallygreat results and some people
really really do well on them,but one in five of the adult
population are on these tablets.
Once again from the UK.
We need to offer somethingdifferent to people with mild
(36:54):
symptoms.
The trouble is, you go to thedoctor, the doctor has 10
minutes with you, you'rereferred to a psychologist, you
have a six-month wait andthere's nothing that we can
really do but prescribeantidepressants for a lack of
other alternatives.
Dr Offer goes on to say veryimportantly, I'm not saying
comedy is going to solve all ofour emotional problems in this
(37:15):
country, and that is certainlyfar too trite, and I really
acknowledge that some peoplereally require antidepressants.
However, my feeling is that wedeeply so.
My feeling is that we need totry different things first.
Dr Offa went on.
What I'd really like to do isstart getting comedy a bit more
(37:39):
sort of mainstream in the NHS.
Don't you love this guy?
Wonderful, beautiful, Iabsolutely love it.
What a fantastic, what afantastic initiative this is.
And, my friends, it is the laston my five items worth noting in
this, the first TLC Pulseepisode, so I really hope you've
(38:00):
enjoyed it.
I am grateful for your time.
I hope that you've gotsomething out of it.
I hope you've found, you know,little bits and pieces of useful
information in there, tools andstrategies that you might be
able to use in your day-to-daylife, whether it be the four
minute, you know the four minuteprescribing of little comedy
clips in between.
You know stressful day.
Or teachers looking afteryourselves you know the four
minute prescribing of littlecomedy clips in between you know
stressful day.
Or teachers looking afteryourselves you know making sure
(38:23):
that we've got an awarenessaround World Suicide Prevention
Day coming up, being mindful ofthe stuff that is going on in
relation to the upcoming socialmedia legislation coming into
effect in Australia.
And yeah, comedy onprescription out of the UK, go
(38:47):
out to community, get connected,have a laugh, love it, love it
so much.
I love so much about that laststory.
Anyway, my friends, once again,thank you very much for your
time.
I really hope you got somethingout of this.
If you liked it, share again.
Thank you very much for yourtime.
I really hope you got somethingout of this.
If you liked it, share andsubscribe all of that jazz.
My name's Mark McConville.
You've been listening to theLaughter Clinic Pulse episode
(39:10):
and please look after yourself,be kind to yourself and be kind
to those around you.
Talk to you next time, cheers.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Thank you for listening.
The information contained inthis podcast is for educational
and entertainment purposes.
It is not intended, nor shouldit ever, replace advice received
from a physician or mentalhealth professional.
Want more info?
Visit the laughtercliniccomau.
If you enjoyed the episode,please share and subscribe.
Thanks again for listening tothe laughter clinic podcast with
(39:43):
your host, mark mcconville.
Welcome to the Laughter Clinic Podcast with
comedian and suicidologist MarkMcConville, bringing you
practical, evidence-basedself-care strategies, the latest
research in mental health,along with conversations that
inspire, educate and entertain.
This is the Laughter ClinicPodcast with your host, mark
(00:26):
McConville.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Hey folks, mark McConville here, how are you
going?
And welcome to this, the firstof the TLC Pulse episodes.
So the Pulse episodes are whereI will share with you five
carefully curated insights fromaround the world in the field of
mental health, suicideprevention and the research into
the health benefits of humorand laughter.
(00:55):
So in doing this, it enables meto keep up to date with what's
going on in the world in thesethree very interesting fields
and as I do that, I'll find fiveinteresting items that I feel
are worthy of sharing with you.
So for the first one, to kickus off, I've got five crackers
to have a chat about.
So firstly, item number one onthe list we're going to talk
(01:19):
about is Study Out of Japanwhich looks at the effects of
humor or sorry, the effects oflaughter on focus and stress in
middle-aged adults.
So that's an interesting one.
Then we're going to dive into aresearch in Australia looking
at stress levels and depressionlevels in teachers Big one that.
Thirdly, we're going to have achat about World Suicide
(01:39):
Prevention Day, which is comingup on the 10th of September, a
couple of weeks away, and thensocial media age limit coming
into Australia.
So that's a really prickly oneto get our head around.
And then, finally, we're goingto wind it up with a fantastic
initiative coming out of the UKthat looks at how comedy shows
could be prescribed for peopleon antidepressants to curb the
(02:01):
rates of, to curb the NHS costs.
So yeah some fantastic things toget into there.
So first things first.
I just want to say thank youvery much for joining me on this
, the first TLC Pulse, and allof the articles that I'm
referring today I will put linksto in the show notes so you can
(02:22):
have a flick through themyourselves if you like.
So let's dive into it.
Number one on the list Iactually saw this article on one
of my Google alerts.
Came out of the Jerusalem Post,would you believe, and it's in
relation to a study thathappened in Japan.
The headline reads only fourminutes the fun activity that
can reduce stress and improvefocus.
(02:45):
In case you needed more proof,a new study found that even a
short burst of laughter cansignificantly, significantly,
benefits the brain and mentalhealth.
So how short?
How short are we talking?
This is what's really coolabout this study.
Is there a way so it goes on tosay, is there a way to improve
(03:05):
your concentration and loweryour stress levels in just four
minutes?
Four minutes, my friends,that's what's really cool about
this Without medication,physical exercise or even going
outside.
A study recently published inBMC complementary medicines this
is the beginning of this yearstudy published in BMC
complementary medicines andtherapies suggested that a short
(03:28):
dose of laughter may be all ittakes to reduce stress and
enhance focus.
What a very, very cool thing tolook at.
So the study conducted by agroup of researchers in Japan
examined how watching a short,funny video clip affects mental
performance and stress levels inhealthy individuals aged 40 to
(03:50):
65.
The results are surprising.
Well, I don't know why they'resurprising.
We know this stuff works.
Even short laughter has asignificantly positive effect on
the brain and the mind.
So there is no doubt that welive in a complex, challenging
reality and many of usexperience reduced focus,
chronic stress and mentalfatigue.
(04:10):
Many people don't seektreatment or don't have time to
access advanced tools.
Therefore, there's growinginterest in simple, accessible,
non-invasive approach toimproving mental health, and the
fact that they have done thisstudy and had the study
participants do four minutebursts of laughter is really
(04:32):
fantastic, and it's somethingthat I'm personally so stoked
about because in my laughterclinic presentations that I do
and my human laughter educationprogram, I talk to people about
building a laughter library.
You know finding what is it thatmakes you laugh?
Getting on YouTube building alaughter library.
You create a playlist.
You don't know how to create aplaylist on YouTube.
(04:54):
Ask a 10-year-old, they'll doit.
And then you just chuck a wholeheap of stuff in your laughter
library that makes you laugh,what you find funny, and then
you can give yourself laughtertherapy sessions throughout the
day or, you know, save it up anddo 20 or 30 minutes at night.
But the fact that you know andI know actually say to people in
these when you're doing theselaughter therapy sessions it
(05:15):
might only be three or fourminutes in between, in between
meetings or whatever it is thatyou've got going on, and the
fact that these guys have doneresearch study and they've
looked at a four minute video,is very cool because it really
relates strongly to what I'vebeen advocating in doing your
self-administered laughtertherapy.
(05:37):
So laughter has long beenconsidered a natural tool for
reducing stress.
The article goes on to sayPrevious studies have shown that
it lowers blood pressure,enhances immune function and
reduces cortisol levels.
However, until now it hadn'tbeen thoroughly examined how
short laughter affects the brainfunctions such as concentration
(05:59):
memory, especially inmiddle-aged individuals.
So I'm just saying a lot of theresearch done up until now has
been long form.
The study involved 25 healthyJapanese adults aged 40 to 65.
Each participant watched twovideos one particularly funny
clip featuring a famous comedian, and the other clip was
(06:21):
considered less funny and it wasused as a control video.
Each of the videos lasted aboutfour minutes.
So there you go.
They chose the time Veryinteresting.
After each viewing,participants completed a series
of computer-based testsassessing concentration, memory
and attention.
Simultaneously, psychologicalparameters were measured blood
(06:43):
flow in the brain, heart rate,mood, biological stress markers
in saliva and the results betterfocus and improved mood.
Well, giddy.
Up to that, I say, thedifference between the comedy
video and the control video wasclear and measurable.
So this is very cool.
This is a great study.
(07:04):
Really highlights the fact thatyou know it's what we're
talking about giving yourselfself-administered laughter
therapy sessions throughout theday very important.
So even just four minutes fourminutes has been shown to have a
positive effect.
So fantastic article to kick usoff that one there.
So once again, link to it willbe in the show notes.
(07:31):
Second item on our list that Iwould like to have a chat to you
about is something that hascome out of the newsroom from
the University of New SouthWales here in Australia and
pretty stark headline.
This it's only released in thelast few days teaches depression
, anxiety and stress at threetimes the national norm.
How's that for a headline?
As I said, this has come out ofthe University of New South
Wales.
Nine out of 10 Australianteachers are experiencing severe
(07:55):
stress, nine out of 10.
And nearly 70% say theirworkload is unmanageable.
I was going to say unimaginable.
And nearly 70% say theirworkload is unmanageable, says
the University of New SouthWales research study.
So the article goes on to say anew study from researchers at
(08:16):
New South Wales Sydney, thefirst to examine rates of
depression, anxiety and stressin Australian teachers, has
found they experience thesemental health issues at three
times the national norm.
The study, which is entitledTeachers' Workload, turnover
Intentions and Mental Health asonce again the link will be in
the show notes published inSocial Psychology of Education,
(08:40):
surveyed nearly 5,000 primaryand secondary school teachers
across Australia.
Now here's some interestingstats for you.
Researchers found that 90% ofteachers reported moderate to
extremely severe levels ofstress, while more than
two-thirds experienced moderateto extremely severe symptoms of
(09:02):
depression and anxiety.
These figures for depressionand anxiety alone are more than
double the national average andpoint to a profession under
immense pressure.
And it's not just a wellbeingissue.
This is a workplace issue, makeno mistake.
So the study used validatedpsychological measures using the
(09:24):
DAS, which is, for those of youthat don't know, it's what's
called the Depression, anxietyand Stress Scale.
I've used this before myself.
It's a good, easy to use,robust test, and the study
revealed that teachers' averagescores for depression, anxiety
and stress were in the extremelysevere range compared to
national norms.
Teachers scored three timeshigher for depression and nearly
(09:46):
four times higher for stress.
It's incredible, isn't it?
And it basically there'sanother big headline here that
says this is one of the largestand most comprehensive studies
of teachers' mental health inAustralia.
It provides a clear and urgentmessage.
Our teachers are struggling andthey need support and they do.
(10:10):
And you know from personalexperience I've got a few
teachers that I know, I've got acouple of teachers in the
family and it is, without adoubt, a noble profession.
I really believe that being ateacher, you know I put in there
with you know first respondersand nurses, and there's certain
professions that you go that isa noble profession.
(10:32):
You know to go out and do thesethings for the betterment of
our community and our country,and you know.
So a big shout out to anyteachers that might be out there
listening and just I want toreally acknowledge the job that
you do and the importance ofwhat you do, and I really hope
that you're finding a way tolook after yourself and taking
(10:54):
some time to administer a littlebit of self-care.
So what needs to change?
The article goes on to talkabout some recommendations In
response to these findings.
The research team is callingfor a multi-pronged approach to
support teacher wellbeing Policyreforms to reduce non-essential
workload and streamlineadministrative tasks.
(11:17):
Well, that's a big one rightthere.
School level monitoring ofteacher wellbeing and workload.
That sounds like that could beone that would be top of the
list to implement.
The next one invest in digitalmental health programs tailored
for educators, allowing flexible, self-paced support.
Yeah, I kind of get that one.
I would like to see more of.
(11:39):
You know kind of what I do andwhat other people do and go out
and do live.
You know training and mentalhealth activities for teachers
on training days and that sortof stuff, because any time that
I've gone and done a live alaughter clinic for a group of
teachers at a school, thefeedback has been outstanding as
(11:59):
to what they've got out of itand how much they enjoy the
laugh and they really got a lotof, you know, personal mental
health stuff out of it.
So, yeah, on digital mentalhealth programs, yeah, I get it
because it's easily accessible,but, you know, don't lose the
fact that we need live stuff,you know, because you're never
going to beat being in a roomwith 20 or 30 teachers making
(12:21):
them laugh.
It's the best.
So this study took placebetween October 2022 and May
2024, with recruitment via theBlack Dog Institute website and
social media channels, usingtargeted social media outreach
and teacher-specific platforms.
So there's a lot in this report, like I said, the link's in the
(12:43):
show notes if you want to checkit out.
But basically, what we need todo is we need to make sure that
we're looking after our teachers, because I'm sure this isn't a
problem that is unique toAustralia.
I'm sure that there would beteachers around the world that
would probably experience thesetypes of stress and these levels
of stress, anxiety anddepression.
So if you're a teacher outthere, kudos to you.
(13:06):
Acknowledge the incrediblyimportant work that you do and
please find a way of lookingafter yourself.
So number three on our items ofinterest for this the first
Pulse episode On the 10th ofSeptember coming up.
It is World Suicide PreventionDay.
This is a day that isrecognised every year.
(13:28):
Communities, organisations andgovernments across Australia and
around the world come togetherto mark World Suicide Prevention
Day, and it is a time toreflect, connect and recommit to
a shared goal of preventingsuicide and spreading hope.
Every year they have a themefor World Suicide Prevention Day
(13:51):
, and this year's theme ischanging the narrative on
suicide.
You know it challenges us totransform how we think and talk
about suicide in communities.
Yeah, you know, it's a call fora shift from silence and stigma
(14:12):
to openness, empathy and actionto ensure those who are
struggling feel heard, supportedand connected.
Together we can help create afuture where more lives are
saved and more stories areshared.
So, from a personal point ofview, you know I've worked in
the field of suicide preventionnow since I started studying
(14:34):
back in 2015 at GriffithUniversity, and it is an
incredibly complex field ofstudy.
It's great that we hear fromthe voice of lived experience
now and how important that is inall suicide prevention programs
, because the voice of livedexperience can help provide hope
to people that might not be,that might be struggling to find
(14:58):
hope in their life.
So, in Australia the 10th ofSeptember.
It actually coincides.
We have an initiative herecalled Are you Okay Day, which
is, I think, it's the secondThursday of every September, so
this year it actually falls onthe 11th of September, the day
afterwards, or Cyber PreventionDay.
And Are you Okay Day is afantastic initiative.
(15:20):
It really is.
It encourages people to haveconversations, you know,
checking in on your friends,reaching out to people who you
think may be struggling, andit's one of those things that
you mention it and then peoplethat are in the mental health
sector or suicide preventionsector say every day should be a
are you okay day, which they'reright.
(15:41):
You know every day should be,because you know suicide
prevention happens at acommunity level.
It is the day-to-dayinteractions that we have in
relation to looking afterourselves and looking after
those around us that can reallyhelp to prevent suicide.
So Are you OK Day once again,fantastic initiative.
There will be some stuff in theshow notes in relation to
(16:05):
resources online, because if youdo find you know, if you do
think to yourself that there'ssomeone that you wouldn't mind
asking you know how they'regoing and having a conversation
with them, if you do find youknow, if you do think to
yourself that there's someonethat you wouldn't mind asking
you know how they're going andhaving a conversation with them.
If you're worried, do yourselfa favour and get a little bit
educated prior to going intothat conversation, because it's
very important.
You know there's right thingsto say and wrong things to say.
So I'll put some stuff in theshow notes for some references
(16:26):
for you to go and have a look at.
So, world Suicide PreventionDay, 10th of September, changing
the narrative on suicide Veryimportant Right Now.
Let's look at number four on thelist for today.
This one is a prickly one thesocial media age restrictions
(16:46):
that are coming into Australia.
Well, this is really somethingthat is creating a lot of buzz
in the mental health and suicideprevention community.
So this article that I'mreferring to is from the eSafety
Commissioner on the Australiangovernment website.
The headline reads theAustralian government is
protecting young Australians ata critical stage of their
(17:07):
development through world firstsocial media age restrictions,
of their development throughworld first social media age
restrictions.
Now, before we get into this,before we get into this, I just
would like to say that recentlyI read a book called the Anxious
Generation, written by a guycalled Jonathan Haidt, and that
(17:29):
is spelt H-A-I-D-T by a guycalled Jonathan Haidt and that
is spelt H-A-I-D-T.
I came away from that bookthinking to myself now, I don't
have any kids myself.
Right, I'm a grandfather,having never been a father.
That's a whole other story.
But, yeah, so I don't have anykids myself.
But I came away from readingthat book thinking to myself
(17:50):
this is something that I thinkevery parent should read,
especially in this day and age,because Jonathan draws he's a
very clever guy and he draws avery distinct parallel between
the advent of sorry, the adventof smartphones and social media
(18:13):
with the decline in globalmental health and especially
around adolescence.
And he talks about how socialmedia affects young boys
differently to young girls andthe implications for all of that
.
And so you know, if you are alittle bit, you know, on the
fence or you're very divided,you know you've got very strong
(18:36):
beliefs about this initiativethat the Australian government
is looking like putting in.
I suggest you know, if you'reso inclined and you're
interested enough.
It's a really good book to read.
It's called the AnxiousGeneration, jonathan Haidt.
I'll put a link to it in theshow notes.
It's yeah.
(18:57):
So anyway, let's, let's get intothis.
Let's get into this, thisarticle on the eSafety
Commissioner's website forAustralia.
So they go on to say from the10th of Sept oh sorry, 10th of
September, got it in my brainfrom the 10th of December 2025,
age-restricted social mediaplatforms will have to take
reasonable steps to preventAustralians under the age of 16
(19:20):
from creating or keeping anaccount.
So these restrictions aim toprotect young Australians from
pressures and risks that userscan be exposed to while logged
into social media accounts.
These come from design featuresthat encourage them to spend
more time on screens, while alsoserving up content that can be
(19:42):
harmful to their health andwell-being.
Now, we all know that socialmedia has its place and it can
be a tool for good, and it alsocan be a tool for bad and evil
and online bullying and all thatsort of stuff, and I really
just want to acknowledge anybodythat's out there that has had
to deal with this in their life,because this is an incredibly
(20:05):
complicated situation that wefind ourselves in at the moment.
The article goes on to say,while no formal assessments have
been made, the age restrictionsare likely to apply to Facebook
, instagram, snapchat, tiktok Xwhich is formerly Twitter and
YouTube, it says, among otherplatforms.
Now, what those other platformswould be, who knows?
(20:26):
More generally, agerestrictions will apply to
social media platforms that meetthree specific conditions.
Right, and so basically youknow the conditions, like, the
sole purpose or the significantpurpose of the service is to be
able to online socialinteraction between two or more
end users, allows end users tolink to or interact with some or
(20:48):
all of the other end users, andthe service also allows end
users to post material on theservice.
So I gotta tell you, thelegislation and everything
behind this is going to be socomplicated.
I mean, it's just, you know,it's just a lot.
It really is.
But this is the interestingthing that when I was reading
(21:08):
this article that I didn'trealize.
And so this goes on to say thatit's not a ban, it's a delay in
having accounts, right.
So you know, for a long they'vebeen saying, oh, it's a ban on
social media.
They're saying it's not a ban,it's a delay.
So this means there will be nopenalties for under 16s who
access an age-restricted socialmedia platform, all for their
(21:31):
parents or carers.
Let me repeat that this meansthere will be no penalties for
under-16s who access anage-restricted social media
platform, their parents orcarers.
Age-restricted social mediaplatforms may face penalties if
they don't take reasonable stepsto prevent under-16s from
having accounts.
(21:51):
Reasonable measures how do youeven measure that?
So what would the penalties beif they don't do what they're
told?
These media platforms?
These media platforms?
A court can order civilpenalties for platforms that
(22:12):
don't take reasonable steps toprevent underage users from
having accounts on theirplatforms.
This includes court-imposedfines up to 150,000 penalty
units for corporations.
So how that works I don't know,but it's saying here that that
is currently equivalent to atotal of 49.5 million australian
(22:33):
dollars.
So they're planning on hittingthem in the hip pocket.
But really, you know, when welook at the size of these
corporations is 49 and a halfmillion, you know, like it's a
lot to you and me and it seemsinconceivable, but I'm sure that
for these big multinationalcorporations and it's probably a
(22:54):
drop in the ocean.
So it's a really interestingthing.
This, you know, and, like I said, it's very complicated.
It's coming into effect at theend of this year and so, you
know, there's a lot of articlesand research around this when it
comes to the effects of socialmedia on youth and, like I said,
(23:17):
I'll put a couple of things inthe show notes there, but myself
, personally, I go on.
You know the stuff that I readin Jonathan H's book, because
his is all research backed andyou know there's a lot of
evidence to support what he'ssaying in his book.
He is a supporter of.
I should say that he is asupporter of the age restriction
and, in actual fact, it's theweirdest thing the day that I
(23:39):
actually finished reading hisbook, the actual day, was the
day that Anthony Albanese cameout and said that he wanted to
try and impose this agerestriction for under 16 year
olds, and, in actual fact,jonathan is that's.
The age that he talks about inhis book is 16.
So, yeah, it's an interestingread.
(24:03):
He outlines all the researchand data to show the harmful
effects of social media on ouryouth.
It's a complicated one, you know.
You've got the harmful effectsof online bullying that kids
can't get away from, and thenyou've got the importance of
social connectedness.
You know we live in a bigcountry, Australia, we are all
(24:25):
over the shop and sometimes thesocial media might be the only
way that these kids can stayconnected to each other.
So it is going to be.
It's a complicated setup.
So, yeah, if you're a parent,you know.
Just, I wish you luck.
I really do, because it's acomplicated setup and you know,
try and keep abreast of what'sgoing on.
(24:47):
But if you get a chance, readJonathan's book the Anxious
Generation.
Really worth a read, right?
So let's get a little bitlighter now, shall we, and wind
it up with our last item on thelist, which is a cracking story
out of the UK, this one.
This was on the Daily Mailwebsite.
This was published the 20th ofFebruary this year and the
(25:10):
headline reads Is Laughter theBest Medicine.
Comedy shows could beprescribed for people on
antidepressants to curb NHScosts.
Well, giddy up to that.
How's this?
This is a cracking story.
It is an old adage thatlaughter is the best medicine,
but now trials are taking placeto provide comedy on
(25:32):
prescription and a bid toimprove people's mental health,
reduce the NHS costs and offeralternatives to antidepressants.
Well, what a feel good bloodystory this is, I tell you, and
there's so much I like aboutthis story.
So technology firm Crack Healthright, which is spelt C-A-I-C
(25:53):
Crack Health, which is that's acracking name right has secured
grant funding for its socialmedia prescribing scheme, which
uses comedy-based interventionssuch as stand-up comedy shows,
workshops to help people who arelonely, isolated and vulnerable
to get involved in communityevents.
Well, this is so.
(26:13):
There is so much about thisthat I love, because you know,
community engagement iseverything when it comes to
mental health.
And you know, as I travelaround Australia, we go to a lot
of different outbackcommunities and all that sort of
stuff, and you know, inAustralia we have a mental
health system that is reallystruggling.
(26:34):
You know, we've got people thatare in need of mental health
treatment or access to mentalhealth services and they've got
reduced access because of wherethey are, wait times and all
this sort of stuff.
And so when I travel around tothese little communities, I say
community engagement iseverything.
You know you're your supportfor each other.
You really are.
So getting out and not beingisolated and engaging in your
(26:57):
community is fantastic.
In actual fact, I've got twoepisodes on the solo series
which you can look at there.
One is on social health whyit's important and community
engagement how to foster a senseof belongingness.
So check them out.
But this let's get back to thisstory.
So Crack Health.
Back to Crack Health.
The company said it is lookingat whether its comedy on
(27:19):
prescription approach can helpreduce England's mental ill
health costs, in line with othersocial prescribing schemes.
This is a beauty, isn't it?
Crack, crack Added, right, I'vegot to tell you.
I just read this off, thisarticle Crack Added, its project
is aimed at helping the comedyindustry, community
organisations and governments towork together on comedy-based
(27:42):
social prescriptions in a bidfor it to be used more widely in
the health service.
What an apps this, this, I tellyou.
When I read this, I was likeI'm loving so much of this.
You know, because when I startedworking in the field of suicide
prevention and mental health, I, you know, I had this dream of
creating a formal link betweenthe comedy industry and the
(28:04):
mental and that of mental health.
You know, because me believethat.
You know, in australia we havethe medicare system.
Right, we have a lot of, wehave a fantastic health system
in australia where a lot of yourfree, free health care you know
, we'll pay for it in our taxes,obviously, but medicare and so
you know, I have this dream of,you know, one day, people being
(28:24):
able to, you know, go to acomedy club on a Friday night,
pay 30-odd bucks for theirticket or whatever, and then on
Monday morning they go toMedicare and get a full refund
from the government because youknow, we've shown that human
laughter is bloody good for yourmental health.
So yeah, that's a dream, butanyway.
So let's move on to this article.
(28:44):
So the work is supported by anMP in government.
He's got on board.
This guy's a doctor, labor MP,simon Offer.
Now, I hope I pronounced hisname, right, it's spelt
O-P-H-E-R.
Now Simon has warned inParliament about the pandemic of
overprescription and outlinedhow making people laugh can
(29:07):
avoid the need for medication.
Don't you just love this guy?
The Strat MP helped to pioneersocial prescriptions, including
the using the arts, and believesthat there is an opportunity to
further explore the benefits ofcomedy events.
Well, giddy up, simon, go son.
I say Simon is linked up withcrack founder, crack founder,
(29:29):
lou Jackson, and the pair willhost Simon and Lou will host an
event in Parliament on the 13thof March, right?
So remember this article waspublished on the 20th of Feb,
right?
So now this says here that thepair will host an event in
Parliament on the 13th of Marchto discuss the impact of the
trials which are taking place inthe Westminster area of London,
(29:52):
right?
So how did they go?
How did they go?
We'll get to that in a minute.
We'll get to that in a minute.
The NHS figures show that 8.7million people in England took
antidepressants in 23-24,increased by 2.1%.
So Simon Offer.
Dr Simon Offer says that one infive adults are on
(30:14):
antidepressants.
That's partly because there areno other treatments really
readily often available.
So if you go to see a GP withmild to moderate depression, you
get referred to a.
You get referred for psychology.
That's often a four to sixmonth wait.
So we're talking about the UKhere.
(30:35):
It's probably not thatdifferent here in Australia, to
be honest.
And so you're not going to dothat as a GP.
That's not very supportivetreatment.
You want something else.
So what else do you do?
You reach for your prescriptionpad, and so that's where people
like Lou come in from CrackHealth.
This is the first time we'vetried comedy and that's what's
(30:55):
exciting about this.
Miss Jackson said from CrackComedy, said comedy on
prescription could help reducethe costs linked to mental
health issues in the country,noting there can be immediate
and longer-lasting healthbenefits connected to comedy,
and I've got to tell you so.
It just says here.
She added it's acortisol-decreaser, dopamine
(31:17):
producer, potent releaser ofserotonin, endorphins and good
neuropeptides.
So if you want to know moreabout this right and the
real-world applications of this,check out my episode where I
have a chat to a gentleman bythe name of Craig Co.
If you want to know more aboutthis right and the real world
applications of this, check outmy episode where I have a chat
to a gentleman by the name ofCraig Coombs.
I've got to tell you that's aninspiring chat right there.
Craig, in 2012, was given 18months to live and we chatted in
(31:41):
what the beginning of Augustthis year, you know, and he's a
huge advocate for the healthbenefits of humor and laughter
and actually doing stand-up.
So, anyway, check that out.
I digress Back to Miss Jackson,from Crack Going to one comedy
workshop or going to onestand-up comedy event or having
a comedian come in and teachkids how to improvise and laugh
(32:05):
at themselves.
It's got an effect for 24 hoursand surely that's better than
prescribing antidepressants, andCraig actually talks about that
in his chat with me.
He talks about the ongoingbenefits the next day from going
to a comedy show or doing one.
So, yeah, awesome.
Let's find out what the resultswere, shall we?
So on the 14th of March, theday after they handed down their
(32:30):
findings to the Parliament.
The headliner reads no brainerto fund comedy on prescription
to aid in mental health MPs.
Here, funding comedy onprescription is a no brainer,
mps have heard.
As initial feedback suggests,trials of the scheme had a
positive impact on people'smental health.
Crack Health back to Cracksecured funding for its social
(32:53):
prescribing scheme which usescomedy based interventions such
as stand up shows and workshopsto help people who are lonely,
isolated and vulnerable to getinvolved in community events.
Brilliant, like I said,community engagement, love it.
Labor MP Simon Offer, whohelped pioneer social
prescriptions, has championedthe scheme and hopes to ensure
(33:13):
comedy can become moremainstream in terms of NHS
treatment as an alternative toantidepressants in cases of mild
symptoms.
So he's referring to mildsymptoms of depression and
anxiety here.
So Lou Jackson, who is thefounder of CRAC, said responses
(33:39):
from surveys completed by thoseinvolved in the first five
events held between December andMarch in London had been
positive, with nearly allwanting to attend more.
Of course they want more CRAC,which I've just realised how bad
that sounds.
Course they want more crack,which I've just realised how bad
that sounds.
But they want more comedy.
Right, okay, it's produced bycrack.
They want more comedy.
The tech company is looking atwhether its comedy on
prescription approach can helpreduce England's mental ill
(34:01):
health cost in line with othersocial prescribing schemes.
The NHS figures okay, wementioned that before.
8.7 million people in Englandtook antidepressants in 23, 24,
wow, that's a lot, isn't it?
So National Institute forHealth and Care Excellence they
love their acronyms, right.
(34:21):
National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence, which
they've said is nice, and theymissed out.
The H right Guidelines saysantidepressants should not be
routinely offered as the firsttreatment for less severe
depression unless it's theperson's preference.
Well, that's fair.
(34:43):
You know.
One Westminster's acting chiefexecutive, shelley Reynolds,
speaking in an event inParliament to discuss the trials
of the comedy industry, said,and I quote it was something
that was different.
We knew that it would work.
We didn't need to seeevaluations and outcomes reports
and numbers and things on achart to say that it works.
(35:04):
Why?
Because we all know this works.
We know that if you laugh youfeel better.
So it was a bit of a no-brainerto fund CRAC.
To fund CRAC, it gets me everyjob, I'm sorry, with our little
pot of money from theWestminster Community Grants,
and this is great.
You know I love this.
(35:24):
This is the sort of thing thatyou know Australian governments
need to get involved with andyou know local councils around
the country, you know, if you'vegot some money for funding for
mental health, you know, getcomedians out there, you know
get.
You know not only myself doinglaughter clinics, but comedy
shows.
Get people out engaged in thecommunity putting on comedy
(35:47):
shows.
You know it's so important itreally is and there's so much
research to support it.
You know, and I love this, thisis really cool.
This is a really cool thing.
So he said here it was thoughtthe most amazing idea and
something that we could reallydo, quite groundbreaking.
And this, this report, or these.
(36:09):
You know the statements thatthey were given to Parliament.
They said, in relation to theinterest for future events, 98%
of people are interested and thelikelihood of coming to more
events was 92%.
Very, very cool.
So a total of 56 participantscompleted forms in relation to
these surveys.
(36:31):
Simon Stroud sorry, simon, offerfrom Stroud.
The Stroud MP saidantidepressants are fantastic
medicines and I've seen reallygreat results and some people
really really do well on them,but one in five of the adult
population are on these tablets.
Once again from the UK.
We need to offer somethingdifferent to people with mild
(36:54):
symptoms.
The trouble is, you go to thedoctor, the doctor has 10
minutes with you, you'rereferred to a psychologist, you
have a six-month wait andthere's nothing that we can
really do but prescribeantidepressants for a lack of
other alternatives.
Dr Offer goes on to say veryimportantly, I'm not saying
comedy is going to solve all ofour emotional problems in this
(37:15):
country, and that is certainlyfar too trite, and I really
acknowledge that some peoplereally require antidepressants.
However, my feeling is that wedeeply so.
My feeling is that we need totry different things first.
Dr Offa went on.
What I'd really like to do isstart getting comedy a bit more
(37:39):
sort of mainstream in the NHS.
Don't you love this guy?
Wonderful, beautiful, Iabsolutely love it.
What a fantastic, what afantastic initiative this is.
And, my friends, it is the laston my five items worth noting in
this, the first TLC Pulseepisode, so I really hope you've
(38:00):
enjoyed it.
I am grateful for your time.
I hope that you've gotsomething out of it.
I hope you've found, you know,little bits and pieces of useful
information in there, tools andstrategies that you might be
able to use in your day-to-daylife, whether it be the four
minute, you know the four minuteprescribing of little comedy
clips in between.
You know stressful day.
Or teachers looking afteryourselves you know the four
minute prescribing of littlecomedy clips in between you know
stressful day.
Or teachers looking afteryourselves you know making sure
(38:23):
that we've got an awarenessaround World Suicide Prevention
Day coming up, being mindful ofthe stuff that is going on in
relation to the upcoming socialmedia legislation coming into
effect in Australia.
And yeah, comedy onprescription out of the UK, go
(38:47):
out to community, get connected,have a laugh, love it, love it
so much.
I love so much about that laststory.
Anyway, my friends, once again,thank you very much for your
time.
I really hope you got somethingout of this.
If you liked it, share again.
Thank you very much for yourtime.
I really hope you got somethingout of this.
If you liked it, share andsubscribe all of that jazz.
My name's Mark McConville.
You've been listening to theLaughter Clinic Pulse episode
(39:10):
and please look after yourself,be kind to yourself and be kind
to those around you.
Talk to you next time, cheers.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Thank you for listening.
The information contained inthis podcast is for educational
and entertainment purposes.
It is not intended, nor shouldit ever, replace advice received
from a physician or mentalhealth professional.
Want more info?
Visit the laughtercliniccomau.
If you enjoyed the episode,please share and subscribe.
Thanks again for listening tothe laughter clinic podcast with
(39:43):
your host, mark mcconville.
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