Running head: THERAPEUTIC USE OF HUMOR IN NURSING 1

Therapeutic Use of Humor in a Nursing Environment

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Therapeutic use of Humor 2

Therapeutic use of humor in a nursing environment

Introduction. 

Humor is a psychological, emotional, cognitive, and social phenomenon. It is inseparable

from everyday life; generally, people from different cultural and social backgrounds around the

world use Humor to deal with their problems and create optimism in an extraordinarily

challenging or uncertain situation. Lyle (2014) defines Humor as the ability of a person to

appreciate the funny aspect of a case. On the other hand, Hardy (2020) sees Humor as a state of

mind, characterized by happiness and excitement. 

Everyone loves to laugh. People are looking for comedy on TV, in movies, or even on the

internet. However, in healthcare settings, people are less comfortable with Humor. Certainly, a

patients' tragic diagnosis or the loss of a loved one is no laughing matter, but there are times

when Humor can be beneficial. Humor in nursing can significantly improve the quality of life

and healing of patients and build a good relationship between clinicians and patients. Apart from

enhancing the patient's overall prognosis, Humor is a coping mechanism and a stress reliever for

most nurses.

Use of Humor to improve overall prognosis 

The use of Laughter in nursing can significantly improve the quality of life and recovery

of the patient. Coser (1930) was the first to suggest that Laughter is related to sickness and

hospital stress for patients. The findings of his research have shown that Laughter is a way to

speed up patient recovery. Subsequent studies have proven the healing and health benefits of

Laughter. Some of the health benefits of Laughter include lowering blood pressure, thus

minimizing the risk of stroke and other related illnesses; a study by Osaka University established
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that Humor reduced blood pressure by 5mmHg after only three months of interventions. Other

benefits of Laughter include improved cardiovascular health and toned Abs. 

Regarding the treatment process, Humor helps in the reduction of patient stress levels.

Sicknesses are discomforting and put the body under immense pressure and stress, causing a rise

in stress hormones. Higher stress hormone levels lower the immune system extending patient

recovery duration. Moreover, Laughter boosts activation of T-Cells, which help the body to fight

sickness. Several pieces of research have found Humor to release endorphins- hormones that help

ease the pain. Laughter and happiness produce a general sense of well-being. It is a proven

nursing science area where people who have a positive outlook on life tend to fight diseases

better than those who tend to be pessimists. In his research on the benefits of therapeutic Humor

in patient outcomes, Henderson concluded that Humor and Laughter between patients and health

workers could be as good as or better than typical treatments.

Use of Humor in establishing good relations

Humor is a useful tool for establishing good relations with patients. Patients, especially

adult males, use Humor to conceal emotions and feelings- thus, it is easier for them to discuss

complicated matters with a nurse who has a sense of Humor. Being humorous helps create a

friendly environment where patients can easily interact with clinicians resulting in camaraderie

and peer support. Creating a pleasant environment helps patients get comfortable and reduces

feelings of discomfort in rather embarrassing treatment situations. 

Tanay, Roberts, and Ream, 2013 meta-analytical study on the effects of Humor on adults

undergoing cancer treatment found that Humor enhances feelings of closeness or togetherness

when shared in a context of trust between the patient and the nurse and can be used as a coping
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mechanism in a stressful situation. In stressful situations, such as initial diagnosis of illness,

treatment, dealing with side effects, poor prognosis, and end-of-life issues, patients often feel

isolated and burdensome to their loved ones (Tanay, Roberts, and Ream 2013). 

According to Tanay, Roberts, and Ream (2013), building trust in the nurse-patient

relationship will reduce these conditions' burden and improve the quality of life. Humor can be a

way to build trust by helping patients make sense of what's going on. They continue to suggest

that identification and illumination of the paradoxes, absurdities, or characters act as a calming

strategy and creates a constructive emotional response that will be expressed by nurses and

patients. Such shared experiences can give rise to a sense of co-existence in a nurse-patient

relationship; this helps patients feel less alone and more capable of handling their illnesses or

injuries.

Use of Humor as Nurses Coping Mechanism 

Humor is a significant component that could help prevent and mitigate burnout among

nurses. Nurses are faced with several stressors, such as labor shortages, inadequate funding, long

working hours, and failure to take part in clinical decisions, and working under pressure or

working with people with poor clinical skills. Burnouts in nurses manifest as; mental fatigue,

depersonalization, and personal inefficiency (Rafii, Oskouie & Nikravesh, 2007).

Employment in occupations where the worker is confronted with other people's pains and

difficulties poses a risk of fatigue. Humor is thus essential to relieve stress and rejuvenate the

mind. However, most people and even medical practitioners do not share this ideology despite

the need for mental serenity in clinical settings. (Rafii, Oskouie & Nikravesh, 2007).Some

believe that nurses should be severe while in clinical settings, and nurses feel that they are not

allowed to Humor with patients during the recovery process. Nonetheless, when used
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appropriately and in the right environment, Humor is a useful tool for improving nurses' health

promotion and patient care quality. 

Concerns with Use of Humor in a Clinical setting  

Although Humor is essential for one's development with social life and experiences, there

are still concerns with its use. Humor manifests differently under varying social contexts, creating

divergent views about Humor's role in the clinical process (Tremayne, 2014).Due to such

differences, an utterly humorous joke to one group might be inappropriate and offensive. As

such, Clinicians restrict the use of Humor to outside exam rooms as a risk management measure. 

According to the superiority theory, when lesser groups, i.e., student practitioners, patient,

and patient families, get exposed to the physician- Physician humor, they tend to interpret them

as dehumanizing (Tremayne, 2014). As Berk put it, "derogatory and cynical touches of Humor as

displayed by medical personnel are forms of verbal abuse, disrespect and the dehumanization of

their patients and themselves (Berk 2009). According to Cameron, "jokes are often a privilege of

the powerful." The experience of Humor is mainly dependent on an individual's experiences and

backgrounds. Thus most people tend to tell jokes that tend to enhance their in-groups and often at

the expense of the out-groups (patients). 

 Nevertheless, it is still possible for the use of Humor without demeaning other groups.

The superiority theory captures only one aspect of Humor, but it is not all to Humor. The other

three styles are self-enhancing, other-enhancing, and self-deprecating, provide a better

perspective in which Humor can be used without causing uproar or negative emotions (Hardy,

2020). Besides, Humor is a learned behavior that depends on inter-subjectivity (Kim, 2015).

Therefore, creating a culture where members are considerate of others' feelings will create a

setting where Humor is used responsibly without dehumanization. 

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Another concern with the use of Humor in a clinical setting is that it is conflicting with

sympathy. Sympathy is an inter-subjective effect that helps improve patient care (Hardy, 2020). It

promotes better coordination and more outstanding commitment to patient well-being. When

Humor replaces this emotional response, the fear is that medical practitioners will become more

detached from their patients—they will not care enough to examine and treat them better. If this

is the case, some believe that doctors will lose valuable life-saving information (Kim 2015).

However, it is also possible for doctors to be both funny and compassionate. Emotions of

compassion can be conveyed to others by acts of goodwill and emotional attachments.

Conclusion 

Recognizing the views of nurses and Humor's impressions helps to identify possible

effects of Humor on both the patient and the nurse; to provide useful information that promotes

the social, emotional, and physical health of nurses and patients. Also, Humor encourages the

rapid healing of patients and facilitates an increased sense of well-being. Useful methods include

promoting Humor's culture in care settings through training strategies aimed at enhancing

cheerfulness at the workplace and highlighting the importance of Humor in the care of nurses and

nursing students. Setting expectations and strengthening workplace culture to reduce Humor's

social and corporate constraints is another necessary line of action that needs to be addressed.
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Reference

Berk, R. A. (2009). Top Secret Tips for Successful Humor in the Workplace: How to Boost

Productivity and Retention, Plus 25 Other Benefits. Coventry Press.

Hardy, C. (2020). Humor and sympathy in medical practice.

Lyle, L. (2014). Laugh Your Way to Happiness: The Science of Laughter for Total Well-Being.

Watkins Pub Limited.

Rafii, F., Oskouie, F., & Nikravesh, M. (2007). Conditions affecting quality of nursing care in

burn centers of Tehran. Iran Journal of Nursing, 20(51), 7-24.

Tanay, M. A. L., Roberts, J., & Ream, E. (2013). Humour in adult cancer care: a concept

analysis. Journal of advanced nursing, 69(9), 2131-2140.

Tremayne, P. (2014). Using humour to enhance the nurse-patient relationship. Nursing Standard

(2014+), 28(30), 37.