The purpose and function of humour in health, health care and nursing: a narrative review.

Full Abstract

AIM: This paper is a report of a review conducted to identify, critically analyse and synthesize the humour literature across a number of fields related to health, health care and nursing. BACKGROUND: The humour-health hypothesis suggests that there is a positive link between humour and health. Humour has been a focus of much contention and deliberation for centuries, with three theories dominating the field: the superiority or tendentious theory, the incongruity theory and the relief theory. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive literature search was carried out in January 2007 using a number of databases, keywords, manual recursive searching and journal alerts (January 1980-2007) cross-referenced with the bibliographic databases of the International Society of Humor Studies. An inclusion and exclusion criterion was identified. REVIEW METHODS: A narrative review of evidence- and non-evidence-based papers was conducted, using a relevant methodological framework with additional scrutiny of secondary data sources in the latter. Humour theories, incorporating definition, process and impact constituted a significant part of the appraisal process. RESULTS: A total of 1630 papers were identified, with 220 fully sourced and 88 included in the final review. There is a dearth of humour research within nursing yet, ironically, an abundance of non-evidence-based opinion citing prerequisites and exclusion zones. Examination of physician-patient interaction and the humour-health hypothesis demonstrates that use of humour by patients is both challenging and revealing, particularly with regard to self-deprecating humour. CONCLUSION: Nurses and nursing should adopt a circumspect and evidenced-based approach to humour use in their work.

Author information

Author/s: McCreaddie, May (M); Wiggins, Sally (S);

Affiliation: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. May.McCreaddie(-atsign-)ed.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: Journal of advanced nursing (J Adv Nurs), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Mar; vol 61 (issue 6) : pp 584-95

Dates: Created 2008/02/27; Completed 2008/06/03;

PMID: 18302600, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00)

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