Humor and older adults: what makes them laugh?

Full 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.

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Author information

Author/s: Kruse, Barbara G (BG); Prazak, Mark (M);

Affiliation: Florida Gulf Coast University, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association (J Holist Nurs), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Sep; vol 24 (issue 3) : pp 188-93

Dates: Created 2006/08/01; Completed 2006/11/28; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 16880415, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: J Holist Nurs. 2006 Sep;24(3):194-5. (PMID: 16880416)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Male
Middle Aged
Nurse-Patient Relations
Nursing Assessment - methods
Personal Satisfaction
Pilot Projects
Questionnaires
Stress, Psychological - nursing; prevention & control
Wit and Humor as Topic

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