How and When Can Humor be Therapeutic?

Background: Humor with laughter has been espoused as being good medicine, supporting socialization as well as a diversion from pain and stress. A review of the literature reveals truth to this claim. The relationship of behavior associated with emotion and the impact on cardiovascular disease, the immune response, endorphin release and decreases in stress hormones is well documented in the scientific research literature. Beyond a sense of well-being, humor and laughter have physiological benefits such as relaxing smooth muscle, enhancing oxygen intake and balancing blood pressure. Incorporating humor and laughter into our daily lives is challenged by barriers, including thoughts that humor has no place in healthcare.

Methods: This didactic presentation includes a review of the current literature regarding the psychologic and physiologic benefits of humor and laughter. Attendees will hear various hypotheses as well as concrete results from scientific inquiry. Passive humor from observation as well as more active humor whereby one creates or finds humor within unpleasant or stressful situations will be discussed. Strategies for the appropriate implementation of humor are outlined. The use of case studies and examples of humor therapy is included. Participation from attendees is encouraged.

Outcomes : The significance of attending this presentation allows for a better understanding of the place for humor in healthcare that also provides strategies for its implementation. Understanding that humor goes beyond telling a joke, that to find humor within the setting of stress or illness can have benefits that go beyond socialization or diversion is clarified.

Conclusions: The complimentary use of humor and laughter therapy in the setting of stress or illness provides diversion, a feeling of well-being but also has been shown to improve health by a multitude of physiologic and psychologic processes. By understanding the usefulness of humor as a nursing tool should decrease barriers to implementation. Attendees learn that laughter and humor are human responses that can promote quality of life and adaptation to illness.

Discussion: The provision of evidence based research on the psychologic and physiologic benefits of humor and laughter should lessen barriers to its use in practice. More research is needed to best associate cause and effect, which is ongoing.