A small part of the frontal lobes appears critical to our ability to recognize a joke. Although the purpose of humor and laughter is still largely unknown despite 2,000 years of speculation, having a sense of humor is a key part of our personalities and it can play a powerful role in balancing negative emotions, such as fear. Physicians are not immune to psychosocial problems but may face unique impediments to attending to them. Self-care among physicians is not a topic generally included as a part of professional training, nor is it a topic that readily receives consideration in professional practice. The stresses of professional practice can exact a great toll, however, and self-neglect can lead to tragic consequences.
Female physicians show some particular areas of risk.
In this paper, we raise questions about how and why physicians may be particularly vulnerable, review the available literature about the extent and nature of such problems in physicians, discuss possible factors related to the development of these problems in physicians, and suggest a variety of solutions to improve physician self-care. According to results of a US national probability sample of twin and nontwin sibling pairs, genetic factors appear to provide an important influence on sexual orientation. Clearly genes are playing some role by interacting with a range of environmental factors. It is not clear if the results are due to a large effect of one gene or to a cumulative effect of dozens of genes. It is hopeful that results will provide a somewhat reliable piece of data in a field that has been awash with speculation and a lot of emotion.