Does humor facilitate coping with physical discomfort?

Zillmann, Dolf; Rockwell, S.; Schweitzer, Karla; Sundar, S. Shyam

doi:10.1007/bf00995204

Cited by 64 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…7. Zillmann, Rockwell, Schweitzer, and Sundar (1993) did not find their measure of coping humor to be correlated with Neuroticism. 8.…”

Section: University Of Düsseldorfmentioning

confidence: 76%

Temperament, Eysenck’s PEN system, and humor-related traits

Ruch¹

1994

Humr

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The Eysenckian PEN System of personality (Eysenck 1991;Eysenck and Eysenck 1985), comprising the superfactors Psychotidsm (P), Extraversion (E), and Neuroticism (N), is used äs a means to locate different humorrelated traits. A sample of 159 German adults answered a sample of temperamental traits relating to the PEN System äs well äs five humorrelated questionnaires. The temperament inventories investigated comprised the A joint factor analysis yieldedfactorsof Extraversion, Psychotidsm, and Neuroticism. Primarily E (and to a minor extent P) appeared to be relevant for the location ofthe current humor questionnaires. The Extraverts' sense of humor seemed to be characterized by their greater susceptibility for positive affect, smiling and laughter, enjoyment of entertaining others, carefreeness, and their lower degree of seriousness. A separate factor analysis of the humor scales yielded factor s of surgency and seriousness, which Humor 7-3 (1994), 209-244. 0933-1719/94/0007-0209 © Walter de Gruyter Brought to you by | Michigan State University Authenticated Download Date | 6/12/15 8:52 PM 210 W. Ruch were associated with E and low P, respectively. An appraisal ofthe attempts to define andmeasure the sense ofhumor construct is undertaken.

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“…7. Zillmann, Rockwell, Schweitzer, and Sundar (1993) did not find their measure of coping humor to be correlated with Neuroticism. 8.…”

Section: University Of Düsseldorfmentioning

confidence: 76%

Temperament, Eysenck’s PEN system, and humor-related traits

Ruch¹

1994

Humr

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“…It is worth noting that humor-related increases in pain tolerance have been confirmed in several controlled experiments. [20][21][22][23] A Japanese study on the benefits of laughter involving 23 individuals with type 2 diabetes and an unaffected control group found that laughter decreased the level of blood prorenin in individuals with diabetes and neuropathy by 196.6-166.7 ng/L and in individuals with diabetes without neuropathy by 93.4-60.4 ng/L. 24 Prorenin receptor genes, which are bonding agents that result in elevated levels of protein, increased with laughter by 1.49 fold in participants with diabetes, whereas there were no significant changes in participants without diabetes.…”

Section: Laughter As a Coping Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humor Theories and the Physiological Benefits of Laughter

Wilkins

Eisenbraun

2009

Holistic Nursing Practice

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There are 3 main theories used to explain the functions of humor: (1) the relief theory, (2) the incongruity theory, and (3) the superiority theory. While these theories focus on the specific role that humor plays for people in situations such as dealing with misfortune, making sense of rule violations, and bonding with others, we propose that underlying each of these theories are the physiological benefits of laughter. We draw on findings from empirical studies on laughter to demonstrate that these physiological benefits occur regardless of the theory that is used to explain the humor function. Findings from these studies have important implications for nurse practitioners working in hospice settings, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals.

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“…A tentative answer derives from the fact that humour can have analgesic properties: patients allowed to watch comedy videos required less pain medication than those who watched control videos [13][14][15]. However, whether patients laughed was never explicitly tested in these experiments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold

Dunbar

Baron²,

Frangou³

et al. 2011

Proc. R. Soc. B.

177

165

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Although laughter forms an important part of human non-verbal communication, it has received rather less attention than it deserves in both the experimental and the observational literatures. Relaxed social (Duchenne) laughter is associated with feelings of wellbeing and heightened affect, a proximate explanation for which might be the release of endorphins. We tested this hypothesis in a series of six experimental studies in both the laboratory (watching videos) and naturalistic contexts (watching stage performances), using change in pain threshold as an assay for endorphin release. The results show that pain thresholds are significantly higher after laughter than in the control condition. This pain-tolerance effect is due to laughter itself and not simply due to a change in positive affect. We suggest that laughter, through an endorphin-mediated opiate effect, may play a crucial role in social bonding.

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Does humor facilitate coping with physical discomfort?

Cited by 64 publications

References 9 publications

Temperament, Eysenck’s PEN system, and humor-related traits

Temperament, Eysenck’s PEN system, and humor-related traits

Humor Theories and the Physiological Benefits of Laughter

Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold

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