Humor and Older Adults: What Makes Them Laugh?

Journal of Holistic Nursing

Volumn 24, Issue 3, 2006, Pages 188-193

  Kruse, Barbara G ^a   Prazak, Mark ^a  

^a FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

health; humor; laughter; older adults

Indexed keywords

ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR; AGED; ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE; ARTICLE; DAILY LIFE ACTIVITY; FEMALE; HOLISTIC NURSING; HUMAN; HUMOR; MALE; MENTAL STRESS; METHODOLOGY; MIDDLE AGED; NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION; NURSE PATIENT RELATIONSHIP; NURSING; NURSING ASSESSMENT; PILOT STUDY; QUESTIONNAIRE; SATISFACTION;

ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING; ADAPTATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL; AGED; AGED, 80 AND OVER; FEMALE; HOLISTIC NURSING; HUMANS; LAUGHTER; LAUGHTER THERAPY; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; NURSE-PATIENT RELATIONS; NURSING ASSESSMENT; PERSONAL SATISFACTION; PILOT PROJECTS; QUESTIONNAIRES; STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL; WIT AND HUMOR;

EID: 39049192535     PISSN: 08980101     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0898010106289855     Document Type: Article

References (25)

1. Berk, R. (2001). The active ingredients in humor: Psycho-physiological benefits and risks for older adults. Educational Gerontology, 27, 323-339.
2. Bethea, L. (2001). The function of humor within the lives of older adults. Communication Quarterly, 49(1), 49-57.
3. Boyle, G., & Joss-Reid, J. (2004). Relationship of humour to health: A psychometric investigation. British Journal of Health Psychology, 9(1), 51-66.
4. Cousins, N. (1976). Anatomy of illness. New England Journal of Medicine, 295, 1458-1463.
5. Emanuel, E. J., & Emanuel, L. L. (1998). The promise of a good death. The Lancet, 351, 21-29.
6. Foley, E., Matheis, R., & Schaefer, C. (2002). Effect of forced laughter on mood. Psychological Reports, 90(1), 184-184.
7. Fry, W. F. (1992). The physiologic effects of humor, mirth, and laughter. Journal of the American Medical Association, 276(13), 1857-1857.
8. Johnson, P. (2002). The use of humor and its influences on spirituality and coping in breast cancer survivors. Oncology Nursing Forum, 29(4), 691-695.
9. Kuiper, N., Grimshaw, M., Leite, C., & Kirsh, G. (2004). Humor is not always the best medicine: Specific components of sense of humor and psychological well-being. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 17(1/2), 135-168.
10. Kuiper, N., & Nicholl, S. (2004). Thoughts of feeling better? Sense of humor and physical health. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 17(1/2), 37-66.
11. Mahoney, D., Burroughs, W., & Hieatt, A. (2001). The effects of laughter on discomfort thresholds: Does expectation become reality? Journal of General Psychology, 128, 217-226.
12. Mahony, D., Burroughs, W., & Lippman, L. (2002). Perceived attributes of health-promoting laughter: A cross-generational comparison. Journal of Psychology, 136(2), 171-181.
13. Martin, R. A. (2001). Humor, laughter, and physical health: Methodological issues and research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 504-519.
14. Martin, R. A. (2004). Sense of humor and physical health. Theoretical issues, recent findings, and future directions. Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 17(1/2), 1-19.
15. Martin, R. A., & Lefcourt, H. M. (1983). Sense of humor as a moderator of the relation between stressors and moods. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 1313-1324.
16. Martin, R. A., & Lefcourt, H. M. (1984). Situation Humor Response Questionnaire: Quantitative measure of sense of humour. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 145-155.
17. Martin, R. A., Puhlik, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48-75.
18. Parse, R. R. (1993). The experience of laughter: A phenomenological study. Nursing Science Quarterly, 6(1), 39-43.
19. Parse, R. R. (1994). Laughing and health: A study using Parse's research method. Nursing Science Quarterly, 7(2), 55-64.
20. Richman, J. (1995). The lifesaving function of humor with the depressed and suicidal elderly. The Gerontologist, 35(2), 271-274.
21. Rotton, J., & Shats, M. (1996). Effects of state humor, expectancies, and choice on postsurgical mood and self-medication: A field experiment. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 26, 1775-1794.
22. Shammi, P., & Stuss, D. (1999). Humour appreciation: A role of the right frontal lobe. Brain, 122(4), 657-657.
23. Weisenberg, M., Tepper, I., & Schwarzwald, J. (1995). Humor as a cognitive technique for increasing pain tolerance. Pain, 63, 207-212.
24. Westburg, N. (2003). Hope, laughter, and humor in residents and staff at an assisted living facility. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 25(1), 16-33.
25. Wooten, P. (2005). Humor, laughter, and play: Maintaining balance in a serious world. In B. Dossey, L. Keegan, & C. Guzzetta (Eds.), Holistic nursing: A handbook for practice (pp. 497-520). Boston: Jones & Bartlett.