Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on Health benefits of humor and laughter
Essay on Health benefits of humor and laughter
Essay on Health benefits of humor and laughter
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay on Health benefits of humor and laughter
One definition of humor is "that which lends itself to laughing, smiling or amusement" (Davis-Evans, 2013). The effects of humor at the cellular level and on the immune system report positive effects on physical and mental health (Davis-Evans, 2013). Humor in nursing is about nurses relating to patients. There 's a bond created between people that laugh together, a bond when one makes another smile. Research suggests that laughter increases pain tolerance; improves respiration and breathing; improves mental functioning, including alertness, creativity a memory; and decreases muscle tension (Davis-Evans, 2013). These benefits can be short term and/or long term. Laughing can be compared to a mild workout, it increases circulation, decreases blood …show more content…
This begins at the early stages in a nurses learning. To be comfortable with humor in nursing the student nurse must have a good grasp of the information they are learning. Nursing instructors can play a large part in the process, making their students relaxed in the setting along with livening up some of their course information. “The traditional classroom, particularly in nursing, often is stifling to students and teachers” (Story, Butts, 2010, p. 291). This stifling effect can be exacerbated with subjective defining characteristics of diagnoses such stress overload related to faulty heating/cooling system. Authentic and non-authoritative portrayal of the information initiated by teachers can help the students translate the styles of teaching/learning into their own nursing practices (Story, Butts, Fart, 2010). As the student passes through their AD nursing classes they are receptive to the teaching styles of their instructors. The instructor instituting humor, and allowing for instances of humor into their teaching by increasing eye contact, creating a casual environment, adopting a laugh-ready attitude, providing humorous materials. (Englert, 2010) The sources the educator may pick from can vary including: the internet (such as The Journal of Nursing Jocularity), books, videos, newspapers, or journals. Pets are also a source of amusement. Similar to what their students are …show more content…
With a good understanding of the materials they learned and a realization of how the use of humor effected their learning experience the new nurses can then take on a role comparable to their teachers. The nurse can then look for material that may pertain to their specific healthcare setting, be responsible for creating their own comfortable environment, and remind themselves to greet each patient with a laugh-ready caring attitude. The nurse may understand the task of needing to alleviate anxiety in a patient, prone to anxiety attacks, prior to surgery, through a thorough assessment of the patients understanding of, and concerns about, the procedure. If not having a prior understanding of the patients anxiety, just initially creating an atmosphere of humor to establish relationship, relieve anxiety, release frustration, avoid painful feelings, or humor to facilitate learning. If achieved, the physiologic benefits of improved respiration and breathing, decreased muscle tension, amongst other effects show to have beneficial postoperative outcomes. This is important because post operative high anxiety, increased postoperative pain, increased analgesic requirements, and prolonged hospital stay are all correlated with preoperative anxiety (Davis-Evans,
Laughter is a very complex process. We don’t ever think about it, but our bodies can use up to 80 muscles. Meanwhile, body structures and systems of the brain, such as the limbic system are hard at work also. Although it is a rather difficult method, whenever our body produces laughter, it helps us in more ways than just one. It can help us physically by releasing endorphins, lowering the chances of heart attacks, and even our immune system. It can help us both mentally and socially as well, building great relationships and by releasing stress. If the human race did not laugh, more and more people would die of things such as heart disease or even depression. Most people can agree, without laughter, our world would be a much darker place. It’d definitely be an unhealthy society.
Hinkle, J., Cheever, K., & , (2012). Textbook of medical-surgical nursing. (13 ed., pp. 586-588). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health
Although modern science has allowed us to develop many complex medicines, laughter is still the strongest one available in the real world and in the book. Laughter proves to be a strong medicine in more ways than one and is completely free, allowing anyone to use it at anytime. It allows us to connect socially with people, it can be used as a way of overthrowing power, and it is good for your health. As Randle McMurphy showed in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, laughter can lighten the mood in the darkest situations.
Hinkle, Janice L, Cheever, Kerry H. (2014). Brunner &Suddarth’s textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kuwer/Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.
There are several definitions for humor (2011), one being “[t]he ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd”. The emission of smiles or laughter does not constitute something or someone is humorous, but is often a reaction to humor also known as mirth. Over the years, there have been several articles written on the use of humor in both the medical and psychological fields. In regard to the psychological field, this body of literature most often covers the definition of therapeutic humor, the benefits of humor in therapy, the risks and limitations associated with the use of humor in therapy, and therapeutic humor techniques with the need for training. The following statements will discuss the trends in the literature regarding these areas.
The spectrum of therapeutic techniques available within the health care continuum is very complex and varied. From traditional medicine, to holistic remedies, and anything in between, nurses have a rather large arsenal at their disposal when it comes to treating the patients that are under their care. Humor as an alternative therapy has long been understood as a proven means to aid in the recovery process. “With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health” (Smith & Segal, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to discuss situations in which humor would be a viable alternative therapy
Laughter also proves a vital role in helping the patients deal with their problems. Not only does it help them deal with problems but it also gave them the push toward progress on getting out of the institution.
In less stressful environment, nurses able to incorporate caring relationship, improve interactions between patient and a nurse, and develop understanding of the other person’s perspective (Nicely, K, Sloane, D., Aiden, L., 2012).
Humor has become one of the most popular tools for stress relief. Positive effects of laughter include reduced muscle tension, controlled anxiety, the ability to handle unexpected events, and simply the joy of humor. It is important for managers to allow employees to have fun. We spend the majority of our lives at work and we need to enjoy the experience.
Our patients have to trust us and using humor can make or break this trust. There is no doubt that humor is a great way to make the hospital setting less intimidating. It puts some humanity back into the patient’s room. They aren’t just being spoken to like a specimen, they are being treated like another human being which patients will appreciate. If a nurse would like to use humor with a patient I believe that it is vital that they talk to their patient about humor during the orientation phase of the patient-nurse interaction. During this phase the nurse and the patient are introducing themselves and assessing the patient's needs (Foust & Sheldon, 2014, p. 16). This a time where boundaries are established so it is important that nurses use this time to get a better understanding of what their patient is okay with and what they are not okay with. 3) Health professionals have to be extremely cautious using dark humor. They should establish a strong relationship with their patients first. In my opinion the patient should initiate this type of humor before the nurse. There is no telling exactly how a patient feels or how they are dealing with a topic
I believe that all nurses have felt a sense of uneasiness or fear when moving into uncharted territory in our nursing practice. It is an uncomfortable feeling when a skill that we have not utilized since a simulation in nursing school or a technique long forgotten after many years of neglect is needed. It reminds me of the low self-confidence look that is often seen in new nursing students as they walk into a patient’s room for the first time during clinical rotations.
body's level of cortisol, which aids the immune system. Laughing increases oxygen intake, stimulates heart and lungs, improves overall breathing abilities, and increases the body’s energy level. Laughing exercises several muscles in the body including: the abdomen, back, shoulders, and 15 facial muscles. So when coming home from a stressful day at the office, exercise might not be a top priority. Keep in mind that ...
However there is a plethora of data available that comes from anecdotes, and while this data is not as concrete as the quantitative data from studies it is still worth noting (4). One example of this comes from Howard Bennett who claimed that the patient he had seen, and had made laugh were less anxious and frustrated in the hospital situation, and they were more likely to listen to his advice (2). Now while this is not official due to the lack of a conclusive study there does seem to be support for ideas like this, such as from an anonymous article written in Nursing Standard in 2010. This article written by an anonymous pediatric nurse stated that when a clown came to visit children in the hospital their tolerance for pain went up while their average time in the hospital went down. The article also claimed that respiratory rate, temperature, and blood pressure were lowered in patients that received a visit from the clown, and thus it can be the author believes that humor therapy is beneficial .(7) An article written in the same magazine by George Winter agrees with this conclusion, but for different reasons. He believes that humor therapy is good due to the positive effect if can have on the patient to medical staff relationship. (9) This doesn’t seem to be a one-off conclusion though, because a journal called Pediatric Nursing published a piece by Rick Majzun in which it stated that normal hospitals could learn from childrens hospitals, because children hospitals tend to have more laughter going on inside them, and that this allows for patients to easily connect to their doctors. Furthermore the articles states that this method should be pursued due to the fact that it is cheap compared to the other kinds of more expensive methods to try and improve relations between the patient and staff(10). Humor
Those who use humor to its best advantage teach others by example. Instead of getting angry when something goes wrong, we should try to look for the humor in the situation. It eases tensions and keeps things in perspective. Humor can energize us when a task has become tedious. Humor can make even the worst of situations tolerable.
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and