Therapeutic Humor Skills for a
Healthy Work Environment
Upon completion of this course, the
participant will be able to:
Identify the roles of therapeutic humor in
creating a healthy work environment.
2. Demonstrate therapeutic humor skills and
identify resources available for creating a
healthy work environment.
3. Evaluate the benefits of therapeutic humor skills
in a healthy work environment.
Laugh Away the Fat?
Therapeutic Humor in the Control of
Stress-induced Emotional Eating.
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1.
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Bast, E. S., & Berry, E. M. (2014). Laugh Away the Fat? Therapeutic Humor in
the Control of Stress-induced Emotional Eating. Rambam Maimonides Medical
Journal, 5(1), 1-12. doi:10.5041/RMMJ.10141
Using humour to enhance the
nurse-patient relationship.
Humour can enable the nurse to ‘treat people as individuals’
and develop the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship.
 It can result from the ‘recognition and expression of
incongruities of a comic, absurd and impulsive situation,
remark, character or action, which enables feelings of
closeness or togetherness when shared in the context of trust
between the patient and nurse…’.
 Used throughout the working day, humour can help to create
a natural connection during patient interactions, which can
have holistic benefits.

Tremayne, P. (2014). Using humour to enhance the nurse-patient
relationship. Nursing Standard, 28 (30), 37.
AACN Healthy Work Environments
The role of humor as a possible tool for aiding those in whom
emotions, particularly negative ones, trigger eating as a means to
improve mood.
We review emotional eating, obesity, and the hypothesized
mechanisms of emotional eating. We then review the field of
therapeutic humor and its ability to de-stress individuals, possibly
through endorphin and opioid systems, both of which are also
involved in eating behavior.
A novel hypothesis that people may be trained to use humor as a
“food substitute” at best, or to blunt hunger stimuli, to achieve
similar advantages, without the side effect of weight gain.
Humour in nursing interventions
Duffin (2009) discussed how nurses may focus on the more
task-oriented side of nursing at times.
 An element of levity can be introduced if appropriate, helping
to promote rapport. Humour can be a positive distraction, for
example when undertaking a clinical procedure such as a
wound dressing, or when undertaking personal care.
 Humour can be a useful conduit to communication with a
patient and therefore influence all stages of the nursing
process.

Tremayne, P. (2014). Using humour to enhance the nurse-patient
relationship. Nursing Standard, 28 (30), 37.
Personal and Professional Issues
 Dealing
 Skilled
Communication
 Collaboration
 Effective
Decision Making
 Appropriate Staffing
 Meaningful Recognition
 Authentic Leadership
with
 Dealing with
 Dealing with
 Dealing with
problem people.
people problems.
problem professionals.
professional problems.
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“Humor is not only a tool in the
workplace, but also a barometer
that indicates how healthy and
well-functioning a workplace is.”
“People with a sense of humor
tend to be more creative, less
rigid, and more willing to
consider and embrace new ideas
and methods.”
Michael Kerr
Robert Half
Therapeutic Humor
 Any
intervention that promotes health
and wellness by stimulating a playful
discovery, expression or appreciation
of the absurdity or incongruity of life’s
situations.
 The intervention may enhance health
or be used as a complimentary
treatment of illness to facilitate healing
or coping, whether physical, emotional,
cognitive, social or spiritual.
THE MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
CONNECTION
Research shows that
positive emotions can
create neurochemical
changes that will
buffer the
immunosuppressive
effects of stress and
illness.
ANATOMY OF AN ILLNESS
Norman Cousins
 If
negative emotions
produce negative chemical
changes in the body,
wouldn’t positive emotions
produce positive chemical
changes?
 Is it possible that love,
hope, faith, laughter,
confidence, and the will to
live have therapeutic
value?
PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY
 CARDIOVASCULAR
 RESPIRATORY
 IMMUNE
 NEUROLOGIC
 MUSCULOSKELETAL
 GASTROINTESTINAL
 GENITOURINARY
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•Numerous clinical studies that suggested humor
and laughter can improve clinical outcomes in
inflammatory disorders, asthma, cancer, and heart
disease by reducing the physiological stress
response.
•Psychological effects, such as reductions in stress,
anxiety and improvements in mood, self-esteem,
and coping skills.
•Positive physiological effect on pain tolerance and
an increase in specific immune factors, such as
production of immunoglobulin A (IgA) and blood
leukocytes
The Roles of Humor
 Get
Attention
 Gain Control
 Stimulate Creativity
 Teach Academic Content
 Promote Critical Thinking
 Promote Problem Solving
GROUP HUMOR
Why Humor Therapy?
To
Release Tension and Stress
To Promote Socialization
To Build Relationships with the
Interdisciplinary Team
To Avoid Burnout and Chemical
Dependency
Humor in Life
Helps
relate facts and figures
Helps emphasize points and
ideas
Makes a positive impression
Makes information more
memorable
Builds Relationships and Loyalty
 Breaks
the ice
 Promotes positive
relationships
 Creates a trusting
environment
 Increases self-confidence
 Promotes healthy group
dynamics
 Shifts the line in the sand
Humor in Life
 Disarms
hostility when change is
forced
 Gets a point across without creating
hostility
 Reduces tension and mental fatigue
created during serious and intense
discussions
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Conflict Resolution
Turn
a negative, painful
situation into a more
positive, pleasurable and
funny experience with a
touch of humor.
Improved Patient
Satisfaction Scores!
Humor may be
a better
predictor of
leadership
than IQ.
Humor Production
 Humor
production is a
skill which can be
developed but must be
practiced, refined and
used on a regular basis.
 Day-to-day real life
experiences provide the
funniest and richest
material.
Humor Production
 RIGHT
TIME
 RIGHT STYLE
 RIGHT PLACE
 RIGHT AMOUNT
 RIGHT CONTENT
Avner Ziv, Israeli Psychologist
Therapeutic Humor
No
No
No
No
No
Sarcasm
Ridicule
Racial Overtones
Putdowns
Sexual Content
If you can laugh at it, you can
live with it!
If you take yourself too
seriously, there’s a chance
you may end up seriously
ill.
Matt Weinstein
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Tom Peters
Management Leadership Consultant
JOYFUL PEOPLE
 Surround yourself with
people who bring
happiness into your life,
things that you love,
fresh air, laughter,
good food, and make
plans for tomorrow.
Jane Hill, Breast Cancer Survivor
“ I am now convinced that every
company can boost its
creativity, team spirit and
productivity by building more
humor and a lighter style of
collegial interaction into the
workplace.”
Comparison of
Hospitals and Airlines
Hospitals and Airlines



Patricia D'aurizio, Nursing Economics (2008), 26(6):389-392.
The stay or trip can
be planned or
unplanned.
It usually involves
some type of X-ray or
scans.
A fee must be paid for
the service.



Your care and wellbeing are entrusted to
strangers.
A variety of people
with many different
skill sets are required
to get the job done.
You are a captive
audience for a
prescribed period of
time.
Nursing Economics 2008; 26(6):389-392
Comparison of
Hospitals and Airlines



You share space with
many other strangers.
Staff wear uniforms
and all have had a
variety of training and
education in order for
them to perform their
jobs.
You are not allowed
to keep many of your
belongings with you.


Food is generally
unappealing, limited,
or in some cases
non-existent.
Staff often have to deal
with unforeseen
circumstances, which
impact their ability to
provide optimal service.
You are usually
delighted to leave.
A Corporate U. S. Airline

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
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Hire Attitude – Train Skills
Immerse Everyone in the Culture Immediately
Keep 'Em Learning
People Give as Good as They Get
Find the Kid in Everyone
Do More with Less
Luv 'Em in Tough Times
Do What's Right
Nurture the Corporate Family
Grubbs-West, L. (2005). Lessons in loyalty. Dallas, TX: CornerStone Leadership Institute.
Nursing Economics 2008; 26(6):389-392
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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
How
have you recently used
humor in the work
environment?
How have you used humor
to defuse a difficult
situation?
A Corporate U.S. Airline
 We
believes that failure to nourish
and encourage lightness in the
workplace not only undermines
productivity, creativity,
adaptability, and morale, but also
can drive people crazy.
Patients Satisfaction Scores and
Reimbursement
 An
employees' commitment to their
customers, their employer, and their work
translates into millions of dollars of
revenue.
 If customers do not have positive
experiences, they will take their business
elsewhere at the first opportunity, which
then has a negative effect on the
company's bottom line.
Humor
Humor
is a
coping
mechanism
for dealing
with reality!
Nursing Economics 2008; 26(6):389-392
You KNOW you are a nurse when:

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






You believe that all bleeding stops … eventually.
You leave your shoes outside the door and never worry about the dogs
carrying them away!
Discussing dismemberment over a gourmet meal seems perfectly
normal to you.
You open your sandwich as a sterile field.
You get an almost irresistible urge to stand and wolf your food even in
the nicest restaurants.
You plan your dinner break while lavaging an overdose patient.
You think that caffeine should be available in IV form.
You have a bladder capacity of 12 hours.
You believe that unspeakable evils will befall anyone who utters the
phrase “Wow, it’s really quiet isn’t it?”
You have ever referred to someone’s death as a transfer to the “Eternal
Care Unit”.
LIFE
Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both
hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy, they just
promised it would be worth it.
CatherineYen
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