Question of the Day:
“If it weren’t for the brief respite we give the world with our foolishness, the world would see mass suicide in numbers that compare favorably with the death rate of lemmings.”
— Groucho Marx
I find macabre things funny
perhaps because I work in healthcare…
It’s no secret that those of us who work in healthcare use gallows humor as a coping mechanism. We see suffering that human eyes should not see and that our souls cannot bear to think about.
There is a great deal of research available suggesting that humour helps one cope with life’s ups and downs.
A 2012 Stanford University Study by Andrea Samson and James Gross concluded that “positive (but not negative) humour may be an effective form of emotion regulation.”
Samson and Gross defined positive humour as “sympathetic, tolerant, and benevolent amusement, focusing on the imperfections of life and human beings or the absurdities of the situation without becoming hostile or depreciating.” (p.4 para. 1).
They went on to define negative humour as “hostile, superior …, mocking others in order to create an emotional distance.” (Samson & Gross, p.4 para. 1).
All humour is not created equal. Some may find humour directed at particular groups of individuals abhorrent, as do I.
I prefer sarcasm and self-depreciating humour. My grandchildren never fail to make me laugh. One-liners get me every time.
But I never know what or when something will strike as hilariously funny.
Then a huge belly laugh will ensue that I will be unable to stop, probably accompanied by snorting (which can sometimes be hilarious, especially when my almost five year old granddaughter mocks the snorting), causing even more unstoppable laughter (and snorting)… and so it goes…
I always feel a rush of endorphins after a huge belly laugh. The calm, happy feelings last for hours.
Humour does help me to cope with stress.
Do you use humour to cope with stress? If so, what kind?
Feel free to answer in the comments, or post on your blog with a ping back to Grateful, Thankful, and Healing Blog
XO Lisa ❤️
Reference: Samson, A., & Gross, J. (2012). Humour as emotion regulation: The differential consequences of negative versus positive humour. Cognition & Emotion, 26(2), 375–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2011.585069
Grateful, Thankful, and Mending! 
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You mentioned snorting but not peeing your pants! Lol!
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Oh my God you’re giving away my secrets! 😂🤣😂
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My wife is a home health CNA and has a lot of friends in nursing and the healthcare communities and their sense of humor is…different. Nursey humor is not really negative humor by the definition you supplied. It helps them cope with some of the things they have to face each day. I love to laugh, too but not at negative humor.
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I learned that ‘Nursey humor’ wasn’t negative when I read the article as a well! Just different!
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Different is a good way to put it.
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it is essential and a good reminder. we all bust a stitch in laughter the other night and I can’t remember why but it was just what we needed. Good reminder here! 🤣😹🤪🤪
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Laughter is indeed the best medicine!
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