Humor and Health

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Humor and Health

• Sue C. DeLaune, MN, RN

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To Contact Sue

• suejaydel_at_att.net
• 985-624-5253
• gdela1_at_lsuhsc.edu
• 504-568-4145

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Objectives

• Describe therapeutic outcomes of humor.
• Formulate one strategy for practicing joie de
  vivre.

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Assumption ---- or Fact?

• Happy people are ---
• healthier than unhappy people

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• We are just here for a spell, so get a few
  laughs. -- Will Rogers

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Humor Not a new concept

• To every thing there is a season, and a time to
  every purpose under the heaven a time to weep,
  and a time to laugh a time to mourn, and a time
  to dance. Eccles 34

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Humor

• Culturally defined
• Individual preference

• ATT Rule
• Appropriate
• Timely
• Tasteful

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Why Do We Laugh?

• Unexpected incongruent
• Surprise absurdity
• Gotchas of life

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When Do We Laugh?

• Infants 10 weeks --- reflexive
• By age 4 years --- about every 4-5 minutes
  (during play)
• People in good spirits --- 100 laughs a day (W
  Fry)

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How Does Humor Serve Us?

• Releases tension
• Increases insight
• An avenue for expressing feelings
• Builds trust.ice breaker
• Energizes physically relaxes emotionally

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Physiological Functions of Humor

• Door Prize
• Hearty, sustained laughter has similar effect on
  body as physical exercise
• Wm. Fry evidence shows mirth laughter affect
  most of the major organs in the body
• ?production of catecholamines adrenaline
  dopamine

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Physiological Effects (continued)

• Musculoskeletal effects (A P of laughter)
• Cardiovascular effects
  (1) increases heart rate
• (2) lowers BP
• Respiratory system

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Other Physiological Benefits

• Stimulates CNS-? mental
  alertness
• Releases endorphins
  you bask in mellow euphoria as adrenaline
  refreshes your nervous system like a tropical
  fruit drink (R Brody)

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Social Benefits of Humor

• Shortest distance between 2 people --- positive
  effect on relationships --- forms a common bond
• Productivity (1) lifts morale
  (2) improves cohesiveness, team spirit

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Cognitive Benefits of Humor

• Chemically activates right hemisphere of brain
  ---
  (1) governs emotions
  (2) spurs creativity
  (3) enhances problem-solving
• Enhances learning How do you use humor in the
  classroom?
• Are you an LB or an RB?

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Emotional Benefits

• Laughter is the best medicine
• Distraction from worry
• Maintains balance by changing perspective

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• If you can find humor in anything, you can
  survive it.
• ---- Bill Cosby

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Humor Stress Management

• Laughter is like popping the cork on a bottle of
  champagne

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Humor Stress Management

• Helps relieve fears
• What does society laugh at?
• Sex, death, taxes
• DRGs
• Gallows humor

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• Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world
  that he was compelled to invent laughter.
• ---
  Nietzsche

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Humor-Inducing Strategies

• Laugh at self (greeting cards)
• Personal mottos
• Exaggeration
• Play
• Practice joie de vivre

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• A person will be called to account on judgment
  day for every permissible thing he might have
  enjoyed but did not. ---Talmud

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Look for the Absurdities in Life!

• Antithesis of worry
• Twain (1) fast getaway
  (2) 102 catastrophes

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Absurdity Formula (Luke Barber, PhD)

• G L
• L B
• R B
• ergo R G

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Absurdity Review

• Look for humor in serious places churches
  funeral parlors newspaper headlines

• Marketing slogans
• Healthcare facilities
• Charting bloopers

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Newspaper Headlines

• Red tape holds up new bridge
• New study for obesity looks for larger group

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Absurd Classified Ad

• Lost - dog, faded brown, 3 legs, 1 ear missing,
  blind in left eye, broken tail, recently
  neutered. Answers to name of Lucky.

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Humor at Work

• Geriantics happy hour in nursing home
• Leisure skills training
• Humeorobics (My Bonnie workout)
• Life review
• Humor carts
• Bulletin boards

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Using Humor with Patients Co-workers

• Playfulness does not interfere w/ productivity
• Willingness to take risks
• History of humor exchanges
• Content is comprehensible
• Trust your intuition
• ATT rule

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Barry Sultanoff, M.D.

• Laughing together can be a time of intimacy
  communion, a time when we come forward, fully
  present, touch each others humanness
  vulnerability.
• Humor is a way to express our humility.
• By joining in humor acknowledging our oneness,
  we can have a profound experience of unity
  cooperation.

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• When we laugh with another, we enfold that person
  in our loving, reach out with caring,
• understanding, and support.
• That, in itself, may be one of the most profound
  expressions of healing energy of which we are
  capable.

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• He who laughs, lasts. --- Anonymous

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Lifes Prizes

• Most of us miss out on lifes big prizes... The
  Pulitzer... The Nobel... Oscars... Tonys...
  Emmys.
• But were all eligible for lifes small
  pleasures.

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• A pat on the back... A kiss behind the ear... A
  four pound bass... A full moon... An empty
  parking space... A crackling fire... A great
  meal... A glorious sunset... Hot soup... A cold
  drink...

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• Dont fret about copping lifes grand awards ---
  ENJOY ITS TINY DELIGHTS. Anon

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NFL Motto

• Warning Humor may be hazardous to your illness.

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Resources

• Adams, P. Mylander, M. 1998. Gesundheit!
  Bringing good health to you..Inner Traditions.
• Cousins, N. 1979. Anatomy of an illness. W.W.
  Norton.
• DeLaune, S.C. 1993. Learned optimism. Aspens
  Advisor for Nurse Executive 8(11)8.
• Dupre, A. 1998. Humor the healing arts.
  Lawrence Erlbam Associates

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• Glouberman, D. 2003.The joy of burnout how the
  end of the world can be a new beginning. Inner
  Ocean.
• Goodman, J. (1995). Laffirmations. Health
  Communications
• Gremigni, P. (2012). Humor health promotion.
  Nova Science.
• Gordon, S. Brecher, H. 1990. Life is
  uncertaineat dessert first! Delacorte.

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• Hegeseth,C. 1988. A laughing place. Berwick.
• Helmstetter, S. What to say when you talk to
  yourself. Bantam Books.
• Hallowell, E.M. 1997. Worry controlling it and
  using it wisely. Pantheon.
• Lefcourt, H. M. 2013. Humor the psychology of
  living buoyantly. Springer-Verlag.

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• Martin, R. 2001. Humor, laughter, physical
  health methodological issues research
  findings. Psychol Bulletin, 127 504-519.
  Pasquali, E. 1990. Learning to laugh humor as
  therapy. J Psych Nurs, 23 31-35.
• Pearsall, P. 1988. Super Joy. Bantam Books.
• Peterson, C. Bossio, L. 1991.Health optimism.
  The Free Press.

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• Pierlot, D. Warelow, P. 1999. Whats funny
  about nursing? Contemp Nurse, I 121-127.
• Seaward, B. L. (2012). Stressed is dessert
  spelled backward. White Light.
• Seligman, M. 2006. Learned optimism. Knopf.