At this nursing home, nurses and residents share both conversational and nonverbal humor that seems to serve several beneficial functions. He started me down my current path. Before coming to SIUC to pursue my doctorate in speech communication, I did workshops and training sessions about humor and health for staff at nursing homes, hospitals, and small businesses. Most of the health care providers I met used humor in their work, but some thought that using humor made them look unprofessional and de-emphasized the serious nature of their commitment to caring. Others were enthusiastic about the idea of using humor with their patients, but when I revisited their facility, I saw no consistent evidence of humor use or sharing.
Health care is a serious business.
However, it can include humorous moments and exchanges that improve the quality of care and maybe even the outcome of that care. Much of the current research on humor involves its social, physiological, and psychological benefits. Humor and laughter can serve as coping mechanisms to manage stress and anxiety. Research also is legitimizing the long-held belief that positive emotional experiences may help strengthen the immune system, and possibly promote healing. The recent movie Patch Adams accentuates much of what Norman Cousins has written about his experience using therapeutic humor to help him beat a life-threatening illness.