Ahh…But for the Complexities of Laughter

2. Ahh…But for the Complexities of Laughter Communication through Humor and Laughter By John Klevins

3. 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)

4. General Information • Humor & Laughter represent both verbal and non-verbal 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

5. 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)

6. 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 well- being 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)

7. 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)

8. 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)

9. 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)

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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