DDL on 13/8/2014 at 09:01

---

I'm still wondering about that.

Are there any studies that show a correlation between being a comedian (or just being funny) and being depressed? Or is it just that they tend to stand out more because they otherwise 'seem so happy'?


I'm finding (http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1975-31804-001) this fairly dated study (1975, yo) which is behind a paywall, but the abstract doesn't do much in the way of enlightening me as to controls.

Then there's (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24434072) this, which is a lot more recent, and seems to suggest that comedians are a bit more psychotic than actors, who are themselves a bit more psychotic than the general population, with comedians particularly scoring highly on 'introverted anhedonia' (which is apparently the inability to derive pleasure from stuff).

Also, since that one is also behind a paywall: a nice news summary of that paper (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/819324) here.

It seems to be based entirely on survey data, and as far as I can tell, is entirely unblinded. Firstly, I'm...not sure how seriously I would take any survey data filled out by comedians (:p), and secondly, if your groups are "comedians, actors, absolutely everything else", then your study is pretty much designed to preferentially detect the differences you want to see, whether those differences are real or not.
And of course, at the other end of the scale of generalisation, "comedian" itself is a fairly broad term: are stand-up comics different from comedy writers? Are manic stand-ups different from deadpan ones?

Does comedy select for depressive traits, or are depressive traits everywhere, and comedy just exacerbates them more than, say...chartered accountancy does? Maybe everyone feels miserable, all the time, but comedians just notice it more because they're supposed to be laughing (whereas a chartered accountant might feel suicidal, but views that as entirely normal because..they're a chartered accountant)? And if you get a bunch of people in the same boat (a whole load of comedians) it might get self-reinforcing.

Sure, it's pretty easy to envisage the traditional manic stand-up comic being secretly screaming on the inside, because bipolar disorder is a thing, and we read about it a lot, but I wonder about the generalisations as applied to comedy as a whole, especially based on the focus. Also, of course, it's cracked. I love 'em, but still: cracked.

Not that I'm saying there definitely ISN'T a link, but more...that the link isn't clear cut, and is under-researched. If nothing else, a good take-home message is that someone's outer demeanor shouldn't necessarily be taken as an indicator of their inner mental health.

Interesting, anyway. (and apologies to any chartered accountants on the forums)

faetal on 13/8/2014 at 10:34

---

It would be pretty tricky to determine empirically. I just liked the article, which I'm sure applies to a subset of people, even if there is no straight up "funny person = depressed person" link.

demagogue on 13/8/2014 at 10:55

---

I think there's a popular current of thought where people believe humans can always bounce back from anything, and they have that Nietzschean idea what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So then they assume there are no limits on human potential or self-control, and anyone that claims them must be just groping for an excuse to be lazy or selfish or whatever, or they just don't understand it like you say.

But the record seems to indicate a lot of humans have real limits in their control over their own will or well-being (or any human if pushed far enough), whether it be by depression or PTSD or other mental issues. Humans never were perfect machines, and sometimes they just break down because they can. It's part of admitting humans are part of a fallible natural world that cares more about biological limits and entropy than your utopia IMO.

faetal on 13/8/2014 at 11:13

---

In my experience, it gets easier to deal with over time, since it becomes familiar and you know that there are good times ahead when the episode abates (assuming one has episodic depression). At the same time though, it is wearying each time and you find yourself feeling defeated by the thought of never being able to escape the feeling. That said, I'm lucky enough not to have addictive tendencies, which I'm guessing would be a huge amplification factor of mental illness.

[EDIT] Kolya - my Dad and my younger brother both suffer from really bad depression and anxiety also. That said, as an outlier for the proposed model, I'm both not very funny and an unsuccessful musician :cool:

faetal on 13/8/2014 at 12:17

---

There'll be the media highlighting factor too - more column inches will be dedicated to troubled stars than to ones which generally just go about their business.
This would subtly lend weight to the idea that famous people tend to have issues.