Transcript Humour - Personal Web Pages

Ahh…But for the
Complexities of Laughter
Communication through Humor
and Laughter
By John Klevins
General Information
 Laughter is an Exclusively Human Characteristic
* No other creature on earth shares humor and laughter
 Freud said it was a discharge of psychic energy resulting from
inhibited tension
 Contemporary Academic Literature’s Definition:
*Humor is a stimulus and a cognitive process
*Humor is a construct and laughter a physical occurrence
*Typically associated with pleasant emotional states
(Martin, 2001 & Mahoney et al., 2002)
General Information
 Humor & Laughter represent both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication
 Impact of Humor:
*Perceptions of Humor and Laughter: Causes,
Intentions, Consequences, Appropriateness and
associated body movements have dramatic impact
on the level of acceptability (Mahoney, et al., 2002)
 Barrier to Communication
*If recipient of humor feels threatened or
vulnerable or doesn’t understand the intent
Physiology of Humor and
Laughter
Bodily Functions:
*Increased heart rate, circulation, blood pressure,
and pulse
*Body temperature rises a half a degree
*Following laughter there is a drop in blood pressure,
heart rate, respiratory rate and muscle tension
*Resulting in a sense of Relaxation (Fry, 1994)
Physiology of Humor and
Laughter
Benefits to the Body:
*Improved oxygenation; increased energy levels
and enhanced circulation of immune substance
*Vigorous laughter stimulates and exercises the
skeletal, facial and abdominal and thoracic muscles
*Released Endorphins often leads to a sense of wellbeing and in some, elation
*Along with the heightened sense of relaxation comes
a reduction in stress, an increase in positive
emotions and the accompanying improvement to
physical health (Rotton & Shats, 1996)
Other Benefits of Humor and
Laughter
 Emotional, mental, spiritual and physical benefits are often
underestimated in the lives of patients, caregivers, family members
and physicians
 Within Healthcare humor and laughter creates a more relaxed
atmosphere which enables patients to be more receptive to learning
and more willing to participate in their own care
 Humor as a communication device is also used as an aid by families
to
assist themselves with the stressors of consistent caregiving
(Hulse, 1994)
 For the depressed, anxious or obsessive, laughter can be a great
distracter, capturing a person’s short term awareness and shifting
their perceptions. (Richman, 1995)
Social Benefits of Humor and
Laughter





Socially, humor is a strong communication strategy and a means to
facilitate social interactions and promote group adherence
(Lapierre & Padgett, 1991)
Humor tends to unite people, acknowledges a their acceptance into
a community and creates a common bond (Hulse, 1994)
The ability to use humor and laughter as a communicative tool
indicates a person’s degree of social maturity and mental health,
demonstrating a learned capacity to cope with stressful or
unfamiliar circumstances (Pasquali, 1990)
Individuals with a greater sense of humor may be more socially
competent and interpersonally attractive which may result in
deeper and more satisfying social relationships (Martin, 2001)
This person uses their sense of humor as a personality trait in a
socially facilitative manner (Martin, 2001)
Empirical Study- Functional Role
as a Communication Device




Herth (1993) studied an elderly community, which categorized
communication and socialization “functions” of Humor and laughter
Cohort aged 65-80 defined functions as relaxation, joy and
restoration
Cohort aged 80-101 defined functions as perspective, freedom and
connectedness
Quotes of survey:
*”Humor makes me feel more at home”
*”Humor helps me to keep close to others and myself”
*”Humor restores my fighting spirit”
(Herth, 1993, pg 151)
Marginalization of the “Soft”
Emotions
 In the fields of psychology and medical science,
humor, laughter and positive emotions (“soft”) share a
common fate; they have been inadvertently sidelined
 Negative human emotions such as anger, fear,
anxiety, sadness and jealousy fit empirical models
more so than soft emotions
 Positive emotions may not produce a reliable and
consistent response each and every time they are
tested or analyzed, very complicated (Fredrickson, 1998)
Marginalization of the “Soft”
Emotions
 Thus, the study of positive emotions may require some
re-tooling, different types of empirical models
 Historically Soft Emotion Based Literature has been
Theoretical, Clinical and Anecdotal
 There is renewed public interest for these soft
emotions, leading to an increased number of recent
empirical studies
Humors Effect on Communication
with the Elderly

Humor is vital to the successful aging process; with
age, perception becomes reality (Fry, 1986)

Lauer & Lauer & Kerr (1990) studied 100 senior
couples:
*Married Couples of at least 40 years
*Findings emphasized that communication lead
by humor and daily laughter were key
ingredients that ensured long-term marriage

Richman Papers (1995) illustrated the impact on
Depressed and Suicidal:
*Humor and Laughter allows these patients to
laugh at themselves and bring them to a point
of self-acceptance and overall life-acceptance
Humors Effect on
Communication with the Elderly
 Eriksson & Eriksson (1986) study of Senior Storytelling


*Storytelling is the oftentimes humorous medium through which
the elderly communicate knowledge, understanding and wisdom
they have accumulated
Social isolation and alienation become dangerous life threatening
circumstances, thus a forum where the afflicted senior has the
ability to tell a story where participants can help the teller to see
humor can be extremely therapeutic
The simple presence of communicated humor reduces isolation and
creates a common bond between participants
Applications-Future Directions
 Need additional Substantive Empirical Studies with
unquestionable methodologies, models and findings.
*Substantive studies on humor as a
communication device and healer have not
attained a high level of mutual agreement among
the literary community
 There needs to be a concentrated effort to a
continued change to the status quo within the
caregiving community to consistently incorporate the
opportunity of communicated humor and interpersonal
laughter
Applications-Future Directions
 Promote Humor as a healing agent in caregiving or
medical assistance settings
 Humor as a segment of a holistic approach to physical,
mental, spiritual and emotional healing process
 When you are sitting on a bus or standing in an
elevator, change someone’s day or possibly life with
humorous communication or a friendly smile or
gesture