The stereotype (familiar since at least the time of Plato's description of the mad genius) that stand-up comedians are an extraordinarily troubled lot is wrong

Stand-Up Comedy and Mental Health: Critiquing the Troubled Stand-Up Stereotype. Sheila Lintott. Chapter in The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy pp 197-222, April 11 2020. https://rd.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-37214-9_10

Abstract: In “Stand-Up Comedy and Mental Health: Critiquing the Troubled Stand-Up Stereotype,” philosopher and amateur stand-up comedian Sheila Lintott analyzes the nature and critically evaluates the evidence for the stereotype that stand-up comedians are an extraordinarily troubled lot, arguing that the evidence does not support the truth of the stereotype. In addition, this chapter explores the roots of the stereotype in the mad genius stereotype familiar since at least the time of Plato; considers reasons for its perpetuation among the public, academia, and stand-ups themselves; and surveys the negative consequences of the troubled stand-up stereotype, including a tendency to downplay the role the working conditions, climate, and culture of stand-up comedy plays in creating or exacerbating any mental health, social, and addiction challenges faced by comedians.