Need something to cheer you up or serve as a study break? This guide will give you a laugh! It's also good for any research you're doing that involves humor.
This article from Current Directions in Psychological Science examines research evidence for the popular idea that humor and laughter have beneficial effects on physical health. Overall, the evidence for health benefits of humor and laughter is less conclusive than commonly believed.
from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Proponents of laughter-based therapies cite research demonstrating the medical value of mirth, although more sober-minded investigators warn that such claims may be exaggerated. Still, these programs confer benefits that, though less tangible, may be just as real.
from Journal of Nursing Education
Humor can be an effective, multipurpose teaching tool for nurse educators to convey course content, hold students' attention, relieve anxiety, establish rapport with students, and make learning fun. When combined with other teaching methods, humor can enhance student learning.
from Pastoral Psychology
This article provides a review of empirical studies of the psychological benefits of humor in order to answer the question whether a religion of humor is likely to have psychological benefits and, if so, what these might be.
from EJOP: Europe's Journal of Psychology
A good sense of humor has been implicated as a quality that could contribute to psychological well-being. The mechanisms through which sense of humor might operate include helping to reappraise threats, serving as a character strength, or facilitating happiness. The current research attempts to integrate these possibilities by examining whether a good sense of humor might operate globally by helping to maintain a more stable positive affect.
from Critical Care (London, England)
Humor can be used to reduce stress, address fears, and to create effective health care teams. However, there are forms of humor which can be hurtful or discriminatory. In order to maximize the benefits of humor and to reduce its harms, we need to teach and model the effective and virtuous use of humor in the intensive care unit.
from Personality and Individual Differences
Humor can be expressed in many ways, some of which may not be seen as displaying a good sense of humor or as being socially desirable. Behaviors associated with adaptive humor styles were judged as more socially desirable, with maladaptive humor uses being rated as clearly socially undesirable.