General
Tedx: How Improv Comedy Improves Mental Health
US News and World Report: The Health Benefits of Practicing Improv
Washington Post: The Not-So-Funny Reason Therapists are Taking Comedy Classes
CBC News: Laughter Truly the Best Medicine for Mental Health Improv Group
Rutgers: Using Improv to Boost Confidence, Improve Mental Health
Autism & Autism Spectrum
NPR: Using Improv To Help Kids with Autism Show and Read Emotion
Chicago Tribune: For Teens on the Autism Spectrum, Improv Classes Can Aid Communication
Vanderbilt University: Improvement in Social Competence Using a Randomized Trial of a Theatre Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism Support Network: Autism, Life, and Learning Improv
Huffington Post: Teens with Autism Stretch, Grow, and Laugh in Improv Classes at Second City
Indiana Public Media: Whose Line is it Really? How Improv Benefits Children with Autism
Southern California Public Radio: How Improv Helps Kids with Autism: A Look at “Zip Zap Zop” Enrichment
Care.com: Improv Can Help Autistic Children Express Themselves
Trent University: Life is Improv: Mental Health, Seniors, and the Joy of Living in the Moment
Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Chicago Tribune: Laughter is the test medicine
American Medical Association: How Improv Is Helping Patients with Alzheimer’s disease
ABC News: Alzheimer’s Disease: Improv Helps Patients Live in the Moment
New York Times: Trying Improv as Therapy for Those with Memory Loss
TEDMED: Using Improv to Improve Life with Alzheimer’s
Huffington Post: Improvisation Can Help Heal– Even Trauma, Even Alzheimer’s
Guideposts.org: Alzheimer’s Disease: Comedy Improv is a Surprising Resource
Anxiety & Depression:
Medscape: Improv for Anxiety: A Stand-up Therapeutic Tool?
Psychology Today: Can Improv Comedy Treat Social Anxiety?
Anxiety.org: 7 Pillars of Improv to Achieve Flow and Decrease Anxiety
The Atlantic: Using Comedy Improv as Therapy for Anxiety
Illinois Institute of Technology: Thera-prov: a Pilot Study of Improv Used to Treat Anxiety and Depression