No abstract

Laughter, the physical response to perceived humor, has demonstrated positive effects on physical and psychological well-being. Studies that focus on effects of humor on health and well-being of older adults are scarce. No studies were found that examine what older adults find humorous. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the humor stimulus in a population of older adults. One hundred thirty (130) hospital auxiliary personnel aged 50 and older were asked the question What makes you laugh? Content analysis of responses revealed nine themes in two major categories, which were (a) people or animals and (b) situations or events. Children represented the largest category of people (30%), and telling jokes represented the largest category of situations or events (51%). Humor can be used by nurses as an effective therapeutic tool when caring for older adults if appropriate sources of humor are identified and applied.

Third-Order Optical Nonlinearities of Model Compounds Containing Benzothiazole, Benzimidazole, and Benzoxazole Units.-The model compounds (IV) and (V) are prepared analogously to (III). The trend of the optical nonlinearity in (III)-(V) can be related to structural variations. The molecular hyperpolarizability increases very rapidly in quasi-one-dimensional molecules with the length of the conjugated π-system. Incorporation of a sulfur-containing heteroaromatic linkage in the conjugated structure enhances the nonlinearity. The transition from one-dimensional π-electron configuration to two-dimensional systems such as (V) can enhance third-order optical nonlinearity without reducing the optical transparency window. -(ZHAO, M.; SAMOC, M.; PRASAD, P. N.; REINHARDT, B. A.; UNROE, M. R.; PRAZAK, M.; EVERS, R. C.; KANE, J. J.; JARIWALA, C.; SINSKY, M.; Chem. Mater. 2 (1990) 6, 670-678; Dep. Chem.,