It is just not yet well accepted to joke or laugh with the ailing. Medical professionals often question the appropriateness of humor when they are surrounded by suffering or are caring for someone who is dying. Humor is highly functional for these times because it allows some much needed emotional distance to be gained from pain and death. This relief is good not only for the staff and caregiver, but also for the patient. Believe it or not, there is also a good scientific explanation as to why laughter makes us feel better.
Laughter causes our bodies to release natural endorphins and enkephalins.
This produces a natural analgesia, thus relieving some of the pain. I remember an elderly patient of mine who had very extensive metastatic disease who used remarkably little pain medication, even in the last stages of her disease. Her secret, she revealed to me, was watching the comedy channel whenever possible, reading authors such as Erma Bombeck and Bill Cosby, following the comics in the paper, and trying to learn a new joke each day to share with someone she met. For her, and those around her, it really made a difference. Most of us are aware of these principles, I think, but are unsure as to how to implement them.