The Health Benefits of Practicing Improv

Last July, Alyssa Marciniak, a market research analyst for an applied research firm in the District of Columbia, was asked to give a presentation at work. When no sound came out of her mouth, Marciniak, who has suffered from social anxiety since she was 10 years old, knew she had to do something.

"It was either improv or Toastmasters," says Marciniak, now 27. She opted for improv, not least because growing up she was obsessed with "Saturday Night Live" and wanted to be like Tina Fey. But her first improv class, in college, was disappointing. "Everyone else was just so outgoing and crazy, and I couldn't compete with that," she says.

So when Marciniak walked into an improv class sponsored by the Washington Improv Theater last October, she was too nervous to eat beforehand. "Eventually I got to the point where I could walk in [to class] without freaking out," Marciniak says. "My heart wasn't going crazy. I didn't feel sick."

And after eight weeks of classes, at the final performance in front of an audience, "I didn't start crying," she says. "Sound came out of my mouth." What's more, she was funny. The second person to improvise on stage, her true-story monologue about having a pet hedgehog made the audience laugh -- and kept her coming out for subsequent scenes.

"I wish I would have done something like this years ago," she says. "If I knew a kid who was socially anxious, I would say, 'You should do improv.'"

Improv Is More Fun Than Therapy

Marciniak's experience is not atypical of improvisers. While some go into their first class determined to perform professionally, a third to half of participants say they're there at least in part because they're shy or anxious, says improv teacher Michael Harris, the artistic and executive director of the Baltimore Improv Group.

"The biggest joke is when we ask for evaluations, at least one student will say, 'It's cheaper than therapy,'" adds Mark Chalfant, WIT's artistic executive director. "And you've probably made some friends. You can call them during the week, and they're not going to bill you."

"I have yet to meet a person who doesn't feel better after laughing for two hours," Chalfant adds.

Marciniak's classmate Meredith Whipple, who also suffers from anxiety, says she was just looking for a creative outlet when she signed up for the class. "I didn't realize how beneficial it would be," she says, calling the experience "an exercise in mindfulness." She tuned into the people around her and slowed down her thinking. "Being an anxious person, I'm often caught up in my own thoughts and not really in the present moment," she says.

But in improv, there is only the present moment. "It feels like you're playing games at an elementary school playground," Whipple says.

Marciniak and Whipple have both done therapy, and they say improv is a more effective tool for overcoming anxiety. "Basically, I'd done everything: years and years of individual therapy and group therapy. I feel like eight weeks of improv has done more for me," Marciniak says, adding that therapy always felt very serious, whereas improv is a fun space where everyone is learning together -- and no one needed to know she had anxiety. The source of that anxiety, she thinks, was being fearful about doing something weird in front of people. But in improv, "You are in a room with people who are making crazy noises at each other. It's OK if you do it, and no one is being judgmental," she says.

How It Works

While there have been a few studies on the potential health benefits of improv (as part of cognitive behavioral therapy or as treatment for Alzheimer's disease patients), the evidence is mostly anecdotal -- with a lot of improvisers eager to share it -- about how people's lives have improved after just one course.

Why this type of play -- which even most people without anxiety find intimidating -- is so effective is perhaps less scientific and more intuitive. "Letting go and being comfortable with not having control is liberating," says Coonoor Behal, a WIT teacher. "Improv is really good for getting you to focus outside of yourself. You learn that give and take, that team support."

You also learn to make mistakes collectively in a safe space. That may be especially important for people with anxiety, whose worst nightmare is usually messing up while they're the center of attention. "This thing they've dreaded for so long not only is not a disaster, it is an addictively positive experience," says Carl Robbins, director of training at the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute at the University of Maryland. Last summer, some of the Institute's patients participated in an improv class specifically for people with social anxiety.

"If you see this as a way of facing your fears, this can be a big step for a lot of people," Robbins says.

What allows that to happen is the teamwork at the heart of improv. A cornerstone concept is an exercise called "Yes, and." Classmates will make statements that their teammates have to agree with and add onto. For many people, the default reaction to hearing something unusual is to negate, doubt or question it. But by learning the principle of agreement, improvisers become more confident, both with each other and in themselves, Behal says, adding that the positive intentionality may trickle down into people's lives.

Marciniak and Whipple have already seen improvements in their lives after their intro improv course.

Whipple says she's more confident at work and now focuses on what her colleagues are saying instead of getting bogged down in feelings of inadequacy.

Marciniak says improv has helped her have more of a life outside work. "I've gone out and done stuff more than I have pretty much since I've been here [in the District of Columbia] in four-and-a-half years."

Kristine Crane is a Patient Advice reporter at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at kcrane@usnews.com.