Humor Emotive Technique

What is Humor?

 Humor therapy is the use of humor for the relief of physical or emotional pain and stress.

It is used as a complementary method to promote health and cope with illness.

 Humor therapy is often used for patients to promote well being.

 It is no secret that humor comes in many forms, and can carry many meanings, which

makes it hard to define (Bergen, 1998; Cann & Calhoun, 2001; Manke, 1998; Martin,

1998; Thorson & Powell, 1993b). Often people associate humor with behavioral cues,

such as laughter. There are several problems with this tactic. The first is that there is no

explanation for the cognitive process of getting the joke (Sultanoff, 2003; Thorson &

Powell, p. 799). In addition, laughter itself very often has nothing to do with being

amused. People laugh because they are nervous or afraid, as in troops going into battle

(La Fave, 1972; Thorson & Powell), and people laugh as a social cue, or even to try to

get ahead in the workplace (Tierney, 2007). In addition, physiological measures such as

heart rate increase and galvanic skin response have been found to occur at times when

individuals rate things as humorous, even when they are not laughing (Langevin & Day,

1972). Therefore, it is difficult to name overt behaviors, like laughter, as necessary and

sufficient for humor because there are mental and physical responses to humor that are

not overt.

 According to the Oxford English Dictionary, humor is ―that quality of action, speech, or

writing which excited amusement; oddity, jocularity, facetiousness, comically, and fun‖

(2010). Humor is all things, in all forms, that give us pleasure and enjoyment. Humans
appear to be hard-wired for humor, in that we seek pleasure, starting with laughter and

tickles at four months of age (Bergen, 1998; Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Weisfeld,

1993). Sultanoff clearly categorizes the elements of humor in noting that it ―is a

complex interaction involving…physiological response (laughter), emotional response

(mirth), and/or cognitive response (wit)‖ (2003, p. 113). Sense of humor, however, is an

all-encompassing term that includes personal variations in all aspects of amusement.

Different aspects of the sense of humor develop as a person is ―rewarded‖—socially or

literally—in an area of humor (Thorson & Powell, 1993b). Humor appreciation and

comprehension include being able to enjoy, interpret, or get the joke (Peterson &

Seligman, 2004; Sultanoff, 2003; Thorson & Powell). Humor creation involves

developing jokes and is related to humor expression, which includes mainly behavioral

measures of humor—laughter, smiling, verbal humor, slapstick humor, making captions

for cartoons, etc. (Ziv & Gadish, 1989). Individuals who excel at creating humor have

been noted as scoring high on intelligence tests and, it has been argued, meet the criteria

for giftedness (Fern, 1991). Coping using humor involves facing difficult situations by

finding something amusing in them (Freud, 1960; Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Thorson

& Powell, 1993b). Investigation of comedians, clowns, and children gifted in humor

production often reveals childhood trauma or familial unrest (Fern, 1991; Martin, 1998).

Self-awareness is an element of sense of humor that includes the individual‘s perception

of herself and the extent to which she embodies the other aspects of humor discussed here

—i.e., able to get or generate humor (Decker & Rotondo, 2001; Thorson & Powell).

Research on sense of humor and sense of self reveals that being considered a humorist by
 the self and peers is related to a higher self-concept in females (Ziv, 1981), and also that

humor is one way that human services workers (firemen, correctional officers, etc.)

 Functions and Benefits of Humor

 The human race has one really effective weapon, and that’s laughter. --Twain, M.

Humor serves many functions for humans. In the advertising world, humor is used as a tool to

increase ad memorability (Kellaris & Cline, 2007). People tend to respond favorably to humor

that is relevant to the product being sold and unexpected (i.e. the Taco-Bell Chihuahua or a

famous athlete with a milk-mustache) (Kellaris & Cline). Similarly, using humor in educational

settings has been found to create a positive learning environment and promote retention of

material (Dziegielewski, Jacinto, Laudadio, & Legg-Rodriguez, 2003). More universally, humor

helps us meet some of our evolutionary human needs.

 Social realm. As the theoretical explanations of humor suggest, it has multiple functions

beyond helping us enjoy ourselves. Viewed from an evolutionary standpoint, humor and

laughter play an important role in social development, which is essential for human

survival. Laughter helps youngsters learn to play with one another and stimulates

euphoria circuits in the brain (Tierney, 2007). This play that seems to occur only when a

child feels safe, often involves tickling. This helps us learn to defend our vulnerable and

sensitive areas when we do not feel safe (Weisfeld, 1993).

 The socialization that begins with shared laughter as a social lubricant (Manke, 1998;

Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray & Weir, 2003; Tierney, 2007) grows into other kinds

of jokes and word play that also teach valuable lessons for getting along in life. For

example, through humor we learn social norms that help gain acceptance (Weisfeld,

1993). Laughing at someone with toilet paper on their shoe is funny because that is not
 where toilet paper belongs (incongruity) and also provides a lesson about the importance

of being aware of your surroundings and personal appearance.

 Humor and mental health.

Tragedy requires less knowledge of the human heart than comedy. --Madame de Stael

A great deal of evidence establishes a relationship between humor and increased levels of

personal well-being. Lenny Bruce is credited with the equation that ―laughter = pain + time‖

(Chopra, 2008, 11; Zaslow, 1999) which highlights the role of humor in coping with life‘s

stresses in a healthy way. Humor as a coping mechanism is linked to the ability to create distance

from a stressful situation, and is a component of successful aging (Martin, 1998; Thorson &

Powell, 1993b). Longitudinal studies found that mature defenses, including sense of humor,

predict greater levels of mental and physical health, life satisfaction, job success, and marital

stability, as well as less mood disturbance in stressful times, and the ability to see obstacles, such

as exams, as challenges rather than threats (Cann & Calhoun, 2001; Cann, Norman, Welbourne,

& Calhoun, 2008; Martin). Findings using the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (MSHS)

also suggest that there is a positive relationship between age and humor creativity, coping humor,

humor appreciation, and a more favorable outlook towards humor in general (Thorson &

Powell).

 A study of the MSHS (Thorston & Powell, 1993b) and the personality correlates found

some other interesting differences related to humor. Some of the highlights include:

 Women generate less humor than men

 Women use humor to cope more than men, perhaps demonstrating Obrdlik‘s (1942)

hypothesis that minorities use more coping humor

  Increased age correlates with increased humor creativity, coping humor, and humor

appreciation

 High sense of humor scores correlate with less deference (respect for social conventions)

and lower on order (propriety, organization)

 High humor—especially creation—is related to high dominance, found also by McGhee

(1980) in children

 High coping humor and high humor appreciation relate to low aggression

 High humor scorers and lower quartile scorers demonstrate differences in outlook, use of

humor for coping, and deference—low scorers are more cynical, and fit less into society

 Those who use coping humor more are less introspective

 In the highest scoring humor quartile, results showed less exhibitionism and less

aggression compared to overall humor

These results are interesting in that those with the highest sense of humor scores overall

tended to be drawn to less aggressive humor than the lower scorers. While results are

correlational here, it could be argued that these results support Maslow‘s idea that an evolved

sense of humor is related to a self-actualized person. This person would appreciate less

aggressive, less discriminatory humor, while maintaining high levels of self-esteem, and mental

health.

What does it involve?

 The physical effects of laughter on the body include:

 Increased breathing

 Increased oxygen use

  Short-term changes in hormones and certain neurotransmitters

 Increased heart rate.

 Many hospitals and treatment centers have set up special rooms with humorous

materials for the purpose of making people laugh, such as:

 Movies

 Audio recordings

 Books

 Games

 Puzzles.

 Many hospitals use volunteers who visit patients for the purpose of making them laugh.

 Some cancer treatment centers offer humor therapy in addition to standard treatments.

What is Humor Therapy used for?

 Anyone can use humor therapy.

 People commonly use it to help in the treatment of chronic diseases, especially those that

are made worse by stress (such as heart disease and Asthma).

 Chronic diseases have a negative effect on mood and attitude, which can make the

disease worse.

 Humor therapy helps reduce the negative effects of feeling unhealthy, afraid, or helpless.

These problems are often seen in those with cancer or other chronic diseases.

 Applications

 Humor therapy is generally used to:

 Improve quality of life

 Provide pain relief

  Encourage relaxation

 Reduce stress.

 Researchers have described different types of humor.

 Types of Humor Therapy

 Passive Humor:

Results from seeing prepared material, such as watching a funny movie or stand-up comedy

or reading an amusing book.

 Spontaneous Humor:

Also known as unplanned humor, involves finding humor in everyday situations.

 Laughter Therapy

 Laughter Therapy is a form of Humor Therapy. It is the idea of constant laughter.

 This can take place in:

 Laughter Yoga, Laughter Therapy sessions, or Laughter Clubs.

 According to some studies, laughter therapy may provide physical benefits, such as

helping to:

 Boost the immune system and circulatory system

 Enhance oxygen intake

 Stimulate the heart and lungs

 Relax muscles throughout the body

 Trigger the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers)

 Ease digestion/soothes stomach aches

 Relieve pain

 Balance blood pressure

  Improve mental functions (i.e., alertness, memory, creativity)

Laughter therapy may also help to:

 Improve overall attitude

 Reduce stress/tension

 Promote relaxation

 Improve sleep

 Enhance quality of life

 Strengthen social bonds and relationships

 Produce a general sense of well-being

 What is the evidence?

 Available scientific evidence does not support humor as an effective treatment for cancer or

any other disease;

 However, laughter has many benefits:

 Positive physical changes

 Overall sense of well-being

 One study found the use of humor led to an increase in pain tolerance

 Laughter can release neurotransmitters called endorphins that can help regulate

pain.

 Another study found that neuroendocrine and stress-related hormones decreased

during episodes of laughter.

 These findings provide support for the claim that humor can relieve stress.

Is Humor Therapy Safe?

  Humor therapy is completely safe. Your doctor is likely to approve of any efforts you

make to use humor therapy.

 It is inexpensive, risk-free, and readily available.

 It may not be safe to forgo your conventional medical treatment and rely only on an

alternative therapy.

 Physiological effect of Laughter

“Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or

more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor

lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused,

and alert. 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.” (Health Guide)

 Humour and Emotions: What Are the Effects?

Many studies attest the beneficial effect of humour in managing stress and reducing negative

emotions. In stressful situations, it regulates the emotional response, mitigates the effects caused

by stressful materials, and reduces occupational stress (Martin & Lefcourt 1983, Martin et al.

1993). Positive humour (affiliative humour and self-enhancing humour) is negatively related to

burnout levels (Tümkaia 2007). In depressed senior patients, it increases personal satisfaction

and resilience to negative events (Konradt et al.. 2013), and it has a protective effect on parents

of hospitalized children (Schneider et al. 2018, Lamas 2015). Laughing reduces aggressive

behaviour (Prerost 1987), and yet it improves performance in soldiers with a sense of humour in

stressful situations (Bizi et al. 1988). Humour produces a cognitive affective shift, with

consequent decrease of arousal (Abel 2002, Martin et al. 1983).

 People with a high sense of humour experience less anxiety and sadness, employ issue-

related and emotion-focused coping strategies, and receive more social support (Fry 1995,

Martin & Lefcourt 1983, Yovetich et al. 1990). Humour is negatively related to neuroticism

(Deaner & McConatha 1983). Not all studies support these assumptions. According to

Porterfield (1987), humour does not mitigate negative life experiences, and, on the contrary, it

can help develop prejudice and distorted Behaviour, or it can be used against other people, even

though it can directly mitigate depression. Both the appreciation and the production of humour

reduce depression, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory(Deaner et al. 1993). In

agreement with the constructs of low self-esteem, impairment and personal vulnerability, people

with high depression levels, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, enjoy cartoons with

other people in them the most, although the differences between the experimental group and the

control group are not significant. In case of Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder, it is counter-

productive. There is a correlation between humour and perceived social cohesion, reduction of

social fear and fostering of healthy work relationships (Sultanoff 2013, Fry 2001).

 Positive Humour

 Humour in clinical use (metaphor, narrations, film production, therapist’s self-derision,

jokes or gags and imaginative techniques), (Scarinci 2018, Taber et al. 2011, Fry 2001,

Prerost 1994) is precious: during the assessment phase; to build/monitor the therapeutic

alliance; for cognitive development, emotional adjustment and as a model. During the

assessment phase, it is important to observe if and how the patient adds light elements to

the narration, showing his level of insight and the use of more mature defense

mechanisms (Chaloult & Blondeau 2017).

  Kelly (1955) suggested the use of a dedicated assessment tool: a type of self-

characterization where the patient has to write a “humorous sketch”, as if they were the

character of a comedy. Self-characterization is a tool to assess the patient’s personality,

affective and relational aspects, and central topics, whose analysis can be performed

“along three structural dimensions: focused contexts, storytelling and content” (Scarinci

2018), causing the topics the patient is willing to joke about to emerge. It is essential to

preserve the primarytopic of personal suffering and anything related to it (Chaloult &

Blondeau 2017). To build and preserve the therapeutic alliance, it helps the patient

perceive a greater emphatic connection, it fosters a shared construction of the issue, and it

may highlight ambivalent requests. “Psychotherapy as a relationship is unique, and the

methods by which they build intimacy in the therapeutic alliance are generally different

from the methods by which they build intimacy in other types of relationships. Although

humour is present in both personal and clinical relationships, its use in therapy is

selective and for the benefit to the client” (Sultanoff 2013).

 Negative Humour

 Just like many other therapeutic interventions, humour can have negative effects and pose

some risks (Haig 1986), when it is used to humiliate or diminish self-esteem, and attack

the patient’s intelligence and well-being (Chaloult & Blondeau 2017, Franzini 2001,

Kubie 1971). It is contraindicated: in those patients that have suffered humiliation,

intimidation or who can feel diminished; those patients with paranoid or narcissistic traits

(Salameh 1987); in those cases when it is ill suffered by the patient or the therapist

(Martin et al. 2003); if it prevents awareness (Kubie 1971) or if it is premature with

respect to the therapeutic progress, alliance and patient’s insight capacity. In therapists, it
 affects the “required confidentiality” (Kubie 1971) and it can hide conscious or

unconscious negative countertransference emotions, breaking the therapeutic alliance and

triggering a paranoid or distancing reaction (Chaloult & Blondeau 2017, Fabian 2017,

Salameh 1987).

 Theories of Humor

1) Conventional Humour Theories

In the conventional literature on theories on humor there is a division in three basic

theories:

• Superiority Theory

• Relief Theory

• Incongruity Theory

This will briefly discuss these three theories, together with additional theories from the

fields of psychology and sociology. A theory proposed by Veatch attempts to explain

humour and laughter in a broader sense and will be discussed in section 1.6.

2) Superiority Theory

The assumption of the superiority theory is that we laugh about the misfortunes of others;

it reflects our own superiority. This theory can be found in the work of Plato, Aristotle,

and Hobbes . Plato suggests that humour is some kind of malice towards people that are

being considered relatively powerless. Hobbes further explains that humans are in a

constant competition with each other, looking for the shortcomings of other persons. He

considers laughter as an expression of a sudden realization that we are better than others,

an expression of ‘sudden glory’. Although this theory seems old-fashioned in the 21st

century, Charles Gruner reformulated this theory as the Superiority Theory of Humour.
 His theory contains a three-part thesis:

• Every humorous situation has a winner and a loser.

• Incongruity is always present in a humorous situation.

• Humour requires an element of surprise.

3) Relief Theory

The Relief Theory has a clear physiological or psycho-physiological nature [RUT97].

The theory reached its zenith when Freud proposed his theory how laughter can release

tension and “psychic energy”. This energy continuously builds up within the human

body, has no further use an therefore has to be released. This release is spontaneous and

expresses itself in laughter. This theory is popular among those who believe that

laughter is beneficial for one’s health. Freud explains that this “psychic energy” in our

body is built as an aid for suppressing feelings in taboo areas, like sex or death. When

this energy is released we experience laughter, not only because of the release of this

energy, but also because these taboo thoughts are being entertained. A more conventional

version of the Relief Theory is that we experience a pleasant sensation when humour

replaces negative feelings like pain or sadness. The theory does not really give an

explanation as to why we find humour funny and can in fact be seen a theory of laughter.

4) Incongruity Theory

The incongruity theory is the most influential approach to the study of humour and

laughter. Kant, in the eighteenth century, is credited to have made the first full

conceptualisation of incongruity. A good description of the incongruity theory is found

in the following words uttered by Schopenhauer .

“The cause of laughter in every case is simply the sudden perception of the incongruity
 between a concept and the real objects which have been thought through it in some

relation, and the laugh itself is just an expression of this incongruity.” When jokes are

examined in the light of the incongruity theory, two objects in the joke are presented

through a single concept, or ‘frame’. The concept becomes applied to both objects and

the objects become similar. As the joke progresses, it becomes apparent that this concept

only applies to one of the two objects and thus the difference between the objects or their

concepts becomes apparent. This is what is called incongruity .

Many agree on the point that it is not the incongruity but the congruous resolution of the

apparent incongruity that makes a certain situation funny. That is why we speak of the

incongruity- resolution theory.

5) Minsky’s Theory on Humour

Minsky bases his Theory on Humour on Freud’s notion of humour [MIN81]. Freud

claims that our brain creates so-called “censors” in order to create barriers that prevent

us from thinking “naughty” or “forbidden” thoughts. When we are able to elude these

barriers by means of a joke,

we experience a sudden release of “psychic energy” and this energy is discharged in the

form of laughter. This theory could explain why we laugh about childish jokes with

double meanings and why we laugh about sexual and aggressive jokes in general.

However, this theory doesn’t explain why we experience other types of jokes as funny,

for example why we laugh about humorous nonsense. Freud wrote that this maybe had to

do with our perception of what humour exactly is. Minsky assumes, however, that the

fun of humorous nonsense can also be explained with the “censor” theory. One of

Freud’s examples of a nonsense joke where logic fails is the following:

 In order to make the good assumption, we have to make a sense- shift of the word,

causing a frame -replacement in our way of reasoning (the less obvious frame for the

‘default’ frame). We can experience this as humorous, although it can also be dangerous

for, for example, schizophrenic persons. One example is the schizophrenic patient who

sees a penny in the street, says "copper, that's a conductor," and then runs to a streetcar

to speak to the conductor.

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